Everyone Active will open Moorways Sports Village to the public on Saturday 21 May with a grand opening weekend – in time for the half term holidays.

Derby City Council has appointed Everyone Active, a leading UK leisure operator, as its partner to manage the new £42 million iconic facility and the adjacent Moorways Stadium, with its outdoor athletics track and field facilities, and football pitches.

The sporting complex has several attractions, including a state-of-the-art Water Park, with the only wave-creating Wow ball in use in a UK public pool. It also has two four-storey flumes, the first wave rider in England, a racer slide and fun water play area for families.

The local community will have access to a 50m pool with moveable floors and booms which can be divided into three 25m length pools of varying depths, offering flexibility for club and leisure use. There is seating for over 400 spectators. A separate teaching pool, with a depth of 1 metre, can be screened off for private hire and children’s parties.

A spa area with a sauna and steam room complements the swimming offer, and further attractions include a café area with views over the Water Park and 50m pool. The café also has a soft play area, with a separate, larger soft playroom by the main reception.

There will also be a 120-station gym, meeting rooms available for hire and three fitness studios, one with views across to the Moorways Stadium.

Accessibility has been designed into the building, with features including a Changing Places changing room and toilet, in-built steps and a lift into the main swimming pool, and a Poolpod lift to enable independent entry into the water. The teaching pool has a portable iSwim hoist to provide convenient access.

Everyone Active’s regional director, Paul Dowling, said: “This is an extremely exciting time for Everyone Active, and we’re delighted to have been chosen to support people in Derby and the surrounding areas with the means and motivation to get active.

“As a company that started out 35 years ago by running a single site in the Midlands, it is fantastic to work in partnership with Derby City Council in this area.

“We remain unwavering in our commitment to provide leisure services and facilities that meet the unique needs of individual communities. All our partners share our ambition of improving lives through activity, and we’re excited to support the Council to achieve their health and wellbeing outcomes.

“This wonderful new facility has an activity for everyone, no matter what your age, interests or ability and will serve the local community for years to come.”

A team of top sports stars led by six-times Paralympic medallist Kadeena Cox and former world champion swimmer Mark Foster are set to attend the grand opening of the new Moorways Sports Village on Saturday, May 21.

Claire Davenport, Derby City Council’s Director of Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “This has been a very exciting project and thanks to a great team, we are able to bring state-of-the-art leisure facilities to the city. We are thrilled that the much-anticipated opening will enable the people of Derby and beyond to get the opportunity to enjoy them.

“Working with construction company Bowmer and Kirkland, Faulkner Brown Architects and Mace we are proud to have delivered this project on time and on budget. This is a great credit to everyone involved given the challenges of Covid and increased costs in the industry.

“The high standard of facilities delivered and flexible swimming space at Moorways will accommodate competitions, clubs, lessons and leisure swimmers. We are delighted to have Derby’s first Water Park to draw in visitors to have fun from across the region. The café and soft play areas will enable families to make the most of their time here.

“Having Moorways Stadium next door, with its outdoor track capable of hosting national competitions, alongside outdoor pitches, we have delivered a wider vision and have created a real sports village for our city. This flows over into the adjacent park, which has recently had a new BMX track.

“We are pleased to have Everyone Active on board as our leisure operating partner, who specialise in encouraging communities to be active, maximising the opportunities these fantastic facilities provide.”