The district's £16.7m sports hub opened on 5 August: two floodlit 3G pitches, padel and netball courts, a skate park, play area and café, run by Leisure United.

The Wealden Community Sports Hub, the district council’s £16.7 million sports complex at Lower Dicker, is open. The site sits by the Boship roundabout on the A267 north of Hailsham and opened to the public on 5 August. (Wealden District Council, 5 August 2026)

What is there

The council lists two full-size floodlit 3G football pitches, four floodlit netball and tennis courts, two floodlit padel courts, a children’s play area, a skate park and a perimeter trail for running, cycling and walking. The sports building holds a community café, flexible community space and modern changing facilities including a Changing Places toilet, and there are 200 parking spaces with electric vehicle charging points plus a dedicated coach drop-off area. (Wealden District Council)

The council says the hub was delivered on schedule and within its approved budget. It funded the project as landowner, with £3.5 million in part-funding from the Premier League, The FA and the government’s Football Foundation; that leaves a balance of £13.2 million of the £16.7 million total falling to the council.

Bar chart showing the £16.7m Wealden Community Sports Hub funding: £13.2m from Wealden District Council and £3.5m from the Premier League, The FA and the Football Foundation
Graphic by Crowborough Today

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Wealden’s lead councillor for public health and asset management, said the hub “is far more than a sports facility, it is a lasting investment in our communities, designed to help people of all ages and abilities lead healthier and happier lives”. (Wealden District Council)

The design was shaped by consultation over several years: an eight-week public consultation in 2021 drew more than 600 responses, a further consultation ran in 2023, and a dedicated consultation on the children’s play area and skate park during 2024 and 2025 fed into the final designs. (Wealden District Council)

Who runs it

Leisure United, a charity that operates multi-sports hubs on a not-for-profit basis, manages the site on the council’s behalf. (Healthy Wealden, Community Sports Hub)

What it means for you

The address is Wealden Community Sports Hub, New North Street, Hailsham, BN27 4GF; from Crowborough the drive is down the A267 through Heathfield to the Boship roundabout. Enquiries about availability, registration and bookings go through Leisure United: its Wealden pages are at app.leisureunited.com/wealden, or contact info.wealden@leisureunited.com and 01323 302304.

For more days out and activities within reach of the town, see our guide to things to do in Crowborough.