Final go-ahead is expected to be given for work to start on a major new £15million sports hub in Holbeck at Leeds City Council’s executive board meeting next week (11 March 2026).
Senior councillors are expected to give approval to appoint an agreed contractor to complete the work which will deliver top-class sports pitches and a new community space.
With work expected to start in August 2026, Holbeck Sports Hub will provide three full-size artificial grass football pitches, two multi-use games areas and a building with changing rooms and a café.
The hub is set to be built at the site of the former Matthew Murray High School with the ambition to also provide a new home to a GP surgery. This would contribute to the wide-ranging health and wellbeing benefits that the development will bring for local residents.
Other elements of the development include a children’s play area and walking and running routes through the green space which sits off Brown Lane East and Ingram Road.
The new all-weather pitches will provide sustainable, high-quality training facilities to reduce the impact on grass pitches and help overcome the shortfall of over 20 all-weather pitches across the city.
The Holbeck hub is the third in Leeds to be delivered in partnership with the Football Foundation as part of their national Parklife programme. It follows Woodhall in Calverley which is set to be completed for the 2026/27 playing season, and Green Park in Temple Newsam where work is starting this year.
All three hubs will be managed by the National Football Trust which is a not-for-profit organisation, with all surplus income generated to be reinvested into both the council’s and other third party-owned outdoor sports facilities.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said:
“We look forward to the work starting on the Holbeck Sports Hub, which will be a significant asset to the local community and residents in south Leeds.
“It will provide affordable and accessible quality sports pitches, providing more opportunities for physical activity and play and spaces to meet up and connect.
“We are also working towards an agreement with a GP practice so that the area can benefit from new high-quality healthcare provision to meet the needs of the community.”
The programme is joint funded by the Football Foundation and Leeds City Council capital funding.
Read the full report at Council and democracy (Agenda item 12).
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds City Council
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with the ambition to also provide a new home to a GP surgery???? Why cant this be a condition instead of an ambition. That is the reason a lot of people accepted the proposal and I think it’s wrong to put in a get out clause like this. Surely local councillors should be pressing for this.
The NASUWT are asking all members and reps to sign the petition to ban these ‘top-class’ pitches to match the European ban. They advise that no school should be building new rubber crumb 3G pitches. Other unions are considering the same action. Sadly for the last few years Leeds City Council has ignored the extensive evidence and are happy to pollute Holbeck residents with tonnes of microplastics and risk children’s health. It wouldn’t surprise me if they built this with the sports body funding and then waited years for more funding to replace the toxic materials. No doubt bleating at the same time that they didn’t know!
There is an excellent new article in the Metro for those who want further information or find out more on the NASUWT website under campaigns. You will also find a link to the petition on the NASUWT site.
https://metro.co.uk/2026/03/04/3g-pitches-exposing-children-teachers-cancer-causing-material-need-banned-27189938/