Extreme Group, the company that runs the Extreme Sport Channel (ESC), has set up an arm to establish a chain of leisure and sport centres.

The company’s new division, Ex Parks, will develop a chain of leisure and retail facilities, based around skate parks and indoor surf parks – or ‘waveparks’.

The new venues will provide facilities for skateboarding, surfing, BMX and inline skating, while offering retail shops selling extreme sports wear and equipment.

The waveparks will incorporate a WaveLoch 10ft breaking stationary sheet wave, suitable for competitions that Ex Parks will hope to broadcast live on the ESC.

The parks will also include sports restaurants, surf cafés and relaxation areas.

Dave Ingram, Ex Parks managing director, said: “We have been in research and development with this project for nearly 18 months. We’ve put together the best of everything and the market is crying out for this.”

Ex Parks will also offer consultancy services to other organisations looking to tap into the expanding action sports market.

The company revealed that it was already in talks with UK-based leisure chain Bourne Leisure, with the view to installing sports facilities into one of Bourne’s holiday parks.

Ex Parks hopes to open its first skate park before the end of 2004 and the first wavepark by summer 2005.

Extreme Group was founded by Al Gosling in 1995 and its ESC broadcasts in 50 countries and 10 different languages. Details; www.extreme.com