Wolverhampton students offered gym discount in university’s plans to replace sports facilities with new medical school

The University of Wolverhampton said it would be closing its city campus sports centre, which includes sports courts and a gym, as part of plans to develop a new medical school.

At the start of the year, the university revealed it was closing its Telford campus in a cost-cutting move with students transferred to campuses in Wolverhampton and Walsall.

City of Wolverhampton Council has said it has struck a deal with the University of Wolverhampton to offer a discounted £10-a-month membership which would give students entry to the city’s three council-owned gyms in Aldersley, Bilston and Wolverhampton including access to classes and swimming pools.

Half-price offers for hiring indoor and outdoor courts during the day would only be available to university students who had a WV Active membership, the council said.

The council said it would also offer social sports sessions and off-peak concessionary rates to accommodate university teams that would be displaced by the closure of the city campus sports facilities.

The existing concessionary is £13.20 a month with the University of Wolverhampton student membership priced at £10 a month.

In January, the University of Wolverhampton revealed it was closing its Telford campus after 32 years in the town.

The shock decision meant the university was abandoning the Priorslee campus, with engineering courses moving to Wolverhampton and nursing transferring to other areas – including the university’s Walsall campus.

The move also includes relocating staff to the City of Wolverhampton’s Civic Centre headquarters in Wolverhampton. The 10-year deal with the city’s council and university

The university, as it revealed in 2024, also plans to build a new medical school, which it now says would result in the closure of the gym and facilities at the city campus sports centre.

Sports facilities would remain at the Walsall campus but the removal of student transport between the campuses means many students are unlikely to use them.

The facilities at the Walsall campus include a 3G football pitch, sports halls, Badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball courts, football and international standard Futsal court, a six-lane 200m sprint track and outdoor tennis and netball courts as well as a fitness suite and weights room.

Around 4,000 of the university’s 27,000 students live in Wolverhampton. The city campus sports centre had 13,000 visits last year and 155 registered student members last year.

The council report said the student population is expected to “significantly increase” in the next academic year as the university looks to target more international students.