The Txurdinaga sports center is set to unveil a new facility in the future: a multi-purpose pavilion with fixed seating for 300 spectators, which will also include two new covered padel courts and a football 7 pitch in its surroundings. The Bilbao City Council has already launched the project, seeking the design for the building to be located in the area closest to Zumalakarregi avenue.
The objective is to create a new covered space that can accommodate both sports uses such as basketball, futsal, volleyball, and hockey matches, as well as other events on the court for up to 800 people. The intention is for the facility to have fixed seating for 300 spectators, public restrooms, and changing rooms under the stands with access to the courts and the exterior. The possibility of utilizing the roof for new sports activities and/or for installing solar energy harvesting facilities, such as panels, will also be studied.
The plan is to transform the entire area to the left of the sports center upon entering from Circo Amateur street, where the fronton courts are located. Currently, this space is occupied by four fronton courts of different lengths, five covered and uncovered tennis courts, basketball hoops, and an artificial turf football 5 pitch, directly in front of the hockey pavilion.
Two new football fields. The initial project foresees the construction of a football 7 pitch with its corresponding changing rooms and two padel courts, facing the multi-purpose pavilion, forming a corner with the hockey pavilion. They also plan to cover one more tennis court to ensure the practice of this sport even during rainy or adverse weather conditions.
Built in the 80s. The Txurdinaga sports center was originally constructed in 1984. It currently includes long and short fronton courts, spaces for rhythmic and sports gymnastics, a fitness and free gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, covered and uncovered tennis courts, squash courts, a skate park, and football fields. The offering is completed by the Bilbao Herri Kirol Zentroa.
As the definitive project is not yet available, a budget cannot be calculated, but Bilbao Kirolak estimates the material execution of the works to be between 2.5 and three million euros.
Initially, the facility will be dedicated to skating practice, as announced last year by the Councilor for Youth and Sports, Itxaso Erroteta. The rise of this sport has prompted the City Council to seek a location for it. It will finally be at the municipal sports center in the aforementioned neighborhood where this new facility will be located, which will be 'a replica of the Santutxu skating pavilion,' according to Marcos Muro, general director of Bilbao Kirolak.
The project's drafting will have a budget of 96,000 euros, excluding VAT. The works will be executed in phases, and the covering of the tennis court is expected to begin before the end of this year.
Txurdinaga's center, after Azkuna Zentroa, is the sports facility in the Bilbao Kirolak network with the highest number of subscribers, with 11,263 people using it as their primary facility. It is also the second most used sports center, with over 44,000 monthly accesses.
