A new £30m sports centre that will provide facilities for research, fitness, sport development and the staging of events has been officially unveiled by Northumbria University (NU).

Sir Robert McAlpine started construction work on the Atkins-designed Sport Central venue in 2008, with Gardiner and Theobald acting as project manager on behalf of the institution. Facilities include a 3,000-capacity main arena to stage sporting events and to provide a home court for the Newcastle Eagles basketball team.

Elsewhere, dedicated laboratory space for physiology, biomechanics, gait and nutrition and a performance analysis suite have been created, along with a 60m, four-lane sprint track. A climbing wall and a swimming pool with variable floating floor are also among facilities at Sport Central, which will be used by the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Wellbeing Research.

NU vice-chancellor and chief executive Professor Andrew Wathey said: "As well as enhancing the health and wellbeing of students and staff, it provides high-quality facilities for the University's research in physiology and sport science. "Sport Central is a beacon for this University's contribution to the region - a state of the art facility and centre of sporting excellence providing us greater opportunities to build relationships with regional, national and international businesses."