Cardiff and Vale College continues to strengthen its reputation as one of the UK’s leading colleges for sport with the development of a new high performance strength and conditioning facility at its Leckwith campus.
The college partnered with BLK BOX to design and deliver a training space built for its growing community of student athletes. Supporting programmes across rugby, football, netball and basketball, the gym forms part of a wider commitment to providing athletes with the type of environment, support and opportunity typically associated with elite sport.
The Vision
Cardiff and Vale College set out to create a sector leading strength and conditioning facility that would support the development of its academy athletes. With multiple sports programmes operating within the college, the space needed to accommodate large training groups while maintaining the structure and efficiency of a professional performance gym.
A key objective was to design dedicated training zones where athletes could remain in one area while still having access to a wide range of equipment. Alongside performance functionality, the college also wanted the space to reflect the ambition of its sports programmes, incorporating custom branding and a professional aesthetic throughout the gym.
Built for Student Athlete Development
For James Martin, Strength and Conditioning Lead at Cardiff and Vale College, choosing the right equipment partner was central to delivering that vision.
“In terms of the quality of product, BLK BOX was always the number one option for us and we're even more happy now everything’s fitted. The quality of every single bit of kit that we've installed has been absolutely superb.”
Alongside quality, timing was critical. The facility needed to be ready ahead of the new academic year so incoming academy athletes could begin training immediately.
“The lead time was really important for us. We were under a fair bit of pressure to get the project over the line by the start of September for learners coming into the new academic year. BLK BOX were superb in supporting us and making sure they hit that exact time so the gym was ready for academy use.”
Designing a Performance Space
Developing the final layout was a highly collaborative process between the college and the BLK BOX design team. As the project progressed, the plans were refined multiple times to ensure the space would meet the demands of daily academy training.
“In terms of the level of support, it was absolutely immense. We had loads of designs, probably close to 50 different gym designs. Even when the project started we had to rip the project apart and come up with a new floor plan. The support was there the whole time. Messaging, emails, the contact was 24/7 and it made the whole project really enjoyable throughout the two years it took for us to get it over the line.”
The final layout centres around a series of BLK BOX 5 Series Back-to-Back Half Racks, allowing large groups of athletes to train simultaneously across key strength movements.
Each station is equipped with Belfast Bars, Competition Plates and Rolling Jammer Arms, providing versatile training options for both developing and experienced athletes.
Additional equipment across the facility includes:
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5 Series White Adjustable Benches
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Bilateral Leg Press
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5 Series Dual Adjustable Pulley stations with cable attachments
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Open Hex Bars and Safety Squat Bars
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Custom BLK BOX Dumbbells with 3 Tier Urethane Dumbbell Storage
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Medicine Ball Set
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Gym Rings
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Basecamp 4 Tier Storage
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Digital Gym Timer
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High performance BLK BOX flooring throughout the space
A Facility Built to Grow with the Programme
One of the most significant outcomes of the project was the increase in the number of athletes who can train in the facility at the same time.
The previous gym at Cardiff and Vale College could accommodate around 20 learners per session. The new facility now supports up to 45 athletes, allowing the college to deliver structured strength and conditioning sessions for much larger academy groups.
The layout was designed to create dedicated workout zones, enabling athletes to remain in one area while still having access to a wide range of equipment. This approach improves the flow of sessions and allows coaches to run organised training blocks without congestion on the gym floor.
Creating a Space that Stands Out
Beyond performance, the college also wanted the facility to reflect the ambition of its sport programmes. Customisation played an important role in creating a gym that felt unique to the college.
James explained “The custom branding on the dumbbells and the custom name plates on the racks were a real point of difference. It gave us something that really stands out.”
The finished facility now provides student athletes with a professional training environment during a critical stage of their development. With high quality equipment, a carefully planned layout and the capacity to support larger squads, the gym forms a central hub for performance sport at the college.
Jonny Flynn, Business Development Manager who was vital to this project said:
“It’s great to see the space now being used by the academy athletes. Facilities like this make a real difference during an athlete’s development and it’s brilliant that the college has invested in giving their learners a professional training environment.”