Essex Sport

Sports and facilities

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Take your pick

We have a great range of facilities, both indoors and outdoors at our Colchester Campus. In 2018, we launched the £12 million Essex Sport Arena, which is built to international sporting standards and is available to hire. The space boasts seating for 1,655 spectators, and includes 23 courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton and futsal. 

Our Sports Centre is home to our spacious Essex Sport gym, fitness studios, squash courts and large sports hall. The centre is also the headquarters for our Performance Sport Department.

And that’s just the indoor stuff. We are renowned for our research on the benefits of Green Exercise and we practise what we preach. Located within the Colchester Campus and covering 40 acres, our outdoor sports area includes an 18-hole disc golf course, all-weather tennis courts, plus tons of space for you and your mates to play a game of five-a-side. 


Book a facility online

Essex Sport on social media:

Opening times

Membership Monday to Friday Weekends
Off-peak 6.30am to 3pm 8am to 10pm
Peak 6.30am to 11pm 8am to 10pm

Easter opening hours

Day Hours
Good Friday 29 March  10am to 6pm
Saturday 30 March  Normal Opening Hours
Easter Sunday 31 March  Closed 
Easter Monday 1 April  10am to 6pm

Cashless payment

Essex Sport is now operating as a cashless facility, only online and card payments are accepted.

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Make a booking

You can book online for a variety of fitness classes here at Essex Sport, from freestyle fitness yoga to cycle classes. Plus you can book one of our badminton, squash or tennis courts. And don't forget you can also hire our fantastic new arena space.

Book online now
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Get in touch
Essex Sport University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park
Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Telephone: 01206 873250

Book a facility

At Essex Sport our facilities are available for booking by students, staff and the public. There are several ways to book a facility or class, including: 

  • Essex Sport App, available to download on the App Store and Google Play – book classes, courts and active sessions, and get up to date schedule information and latest news via the app.*
  • book and pay online  – available to all Essex Sport members. If you’re eligible, you’ll receive an introductory email with your PIN, along with full instructions on how to use the service.*
  • book by telephone on 01206 873250 using your debit or credit card.
  • book and pay at the Sports Centre reception.

 * Non-members will need to either telephone or visit the Sports Centre reception. 

To ensure fairness for all, consecutively timed/double bookings for courts are not permitted.

Our friendly Essex Sport team is on hand to guide you through the booking process. 

For Active Sessions, you can also simply turn up and pay. However, we strongly recommend signing up to ensure you have a place.

Facility hire prices

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