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IAKS UK United Kingdom and Ireland
Your sports facility network

A unique network for experts in the sports facility industry

„We want to bring together clients, operators and designers to discuss the design and operation of sports and leisure facilities in the United Kingdom that can benefit everyone  - from the local population to elite sports athletes, as well as encouraging wider participation in sport.“

This briefly summarizes the goal that the leaders at IAKS UK are persecuting with passionate dedication. With the backdrop of the umbrella organization the UK-based branch of IAKS (global) is enlarging the network for the professionals in the sports facility industry from Eastbourne to Aberdeen.

Congress 2019 098 meeting© IAKS - Hieronymus Caspar.JPG

IAKS is the leading global non-profit organisation for professionals from the sport, leisure and recreation facilities industry which has, since 1965, provided international networking opportunities for the exchange of planning, design and operational expertise.

With facilities of any kind at the core of its activities, from small grassroot neighbourhood facilites through to large  scale global stadiums, over its 55 year history IAKS has been sharing insights and facilitating management, planning and architectural design excellence for facilities to the world.

Activities in the UK picked up speed in 2018, with the kick-off event in conjunction with the „Why Sports“ Conference in London. The IAKS UK Spring Event in April 2019 gathered more than 70 clients, operators and designers. They discussed the development of community sports facilities, using the backdrop of the venues in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The worldwide pandemic also foiled IAKS UK’s plans for 2020, while 2021 has seen two webinars for the professionals in the sports facility industry in the UK.

Building on discussions from previous IAKS UK seminars and webinars, which had looked at the legacy of sporting infrastructure from major events in the UK, as well as the role of Universities in encouraging mass participation in sport, the 2022 IAKS UK Spring Event welcomed more than 40 delegates at the Sport and Fitness Centre on the campus of the University of Birmingham.

IAKS UK is continuing to develop plans for future activities, including a joint seminar and stadium tour of the Tottenham Stadium in Autumn 2022 with the IAKS Stadium and Arena expert circle, and a study tour to Manchester in Summer 2023.

UK Spring Event 2019 London ©Populous 2 (10)

Your contact persons

Mike Hall

Mike Hall

Partner, FaulknerBrowns
Mike Hall
Partner, FaulknerBrowns

Mike Hall specialises in the design of sports facilities. He is an advocate of developing expertise as a springboard for innovative solutions in this specialist field, where the social spaces are as valuable as the fields of play. Notable examples include the multi award-winning Derby Arena, Lee Valley White Water Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the University of Surrey Sports Complex.

Mike has travelled widely, researching and benchmarking facilities around the world and brings a national and international perspective to this field. He is an active member of the International Union of Architects (UIA) sports and leisure working group.

Tom Jones profile pic_colour square 2022

Tom Jones

Senior Principal, Populous
Tom Jones
Senior Principal, Populous

Tom is a Senior Principal in the London office of Populous and has a keen interest in how sports and entertainment buildings and events can enhance cities and communities. He has a great passion for sport and has been able to use this in the design and delivery of a number of high-profile projects around the world, including the Olympic Stadium for the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has also worked on other major sports events, including the ICC Cricket World Cup and NFL Super Bowl.

In addition to running major projects, Tom has co-authored the technical guide to Sports Facilities in the Metric Handbook and contributed to a series of international publications. He is IAKS Vice President and sits on the Sports Economy Sector Advisory Group for DIT (Department of Industry and Trade).

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