Management company Serco Leisure has been appointed to handle the operations at Birmingham City University’s new £8m City North Sports Centre in Perry Barr.

The 10-year deal will see Serco investing around £500,000 in equipment at the centre as well as operate the university’s existing Pavilion outdoor sports centre.

The City North sports centre is open to both students and the public and facilities include an indoor eight-court sports hall, three dance studios, an 80-station fitness suite and an all-weather pitch.

The existing Pavilion sports centre boasts 18 hectares of outdoor space, including an all-weather pitch, numerous grass pitches, function and conferencing facilities, as well as 20 changing rooms.

Specialist consultants Strategic Leisure managed the procurement process on behalf of the university.

Kevin Franklin, Strategic Leisure's associate director, said: "This was a challenging but rewarding project.

"The key to delivering it successfully in such a short timescale was using tried and tested methodologies to ensure a robust and deliverable project."

Serco Leisure is a part of Serco Group, and Serco manages and operates leisure facilities in partnership with local authorities or through bespoke leisure trust arrangements across the UK and Channel Islands.