Prior Park Unveils Purpose Built Sports Pitch

As Prior Park School has continued to grow over the past four years, the need for more outdoor recreational and sports space become more and more apparent.

At the top of the school site, beyond the assembly hall, a space was identified which had been lying dormant for many years. It used to house an old basketball court, as well as all sorts of other activities such as long-jump on its spacious terraces.

There were even reports of students swimming in the historic brick water storage tanks that lie hidden up there, some 50 years ago!

After deliberating on how best to make use of this area, and weighing up the cost and viability of building works, the School decided that refurbishing the basketball court into a modern ball-court, would be the best medium-term use of the space.

Once a suitable contractor was identified, they set to work clearing all the overgrown pathways and crumbling steps, ready to bring the area back to life.

The steps up to the court have now been completely rebuilt and made secure with sturdy fencing, leading up to the play surface, which features a custom design surface, complete with the PPSG logo in the centre.

Contributing to the cost of the pitch was Pragmatic Play - a leading Gibraltar licensed supplier to the regulated i-gaming industry, who generously donated £25,000 to the project.

Pragmatic Play's CEO Julian Jarvis (also a Governor of the school and long-term resident of Gibraltar) said, "Pragmatic Play is delighted to help with this new onsite sports facility at Prior Park.

We feel it is important that businesses benefiting from the Gibraltar regulatory environment and economy, such as ours, support the local community and the services critical to us all. If ever there was a time to appreciate the role that great schools provide in our lives, it is now."

The views from the playing surface rival any in Gibraltar, looking out over the Bay, across to Spain and Northern Africa on a clear day.

Not only will this area add valuable space to the school site, it will also inspire those who are lucky enough to use it.

In time, it is hoped that the space can be made available to local sports teams and the public for use outside of school hours, so everyone can take advantage of the fantastic new facilities.