Exciting new HPI building to increase sporting footprint at the NWU
“This will be a new state of the art facility that will chart a new pathway for NWU Sport. The idea is to create a space where sporting culture is promoted. We want the new building to act as the flagship for NWU Sport."
The North-West University’s High Performance Institute (HPI) is well known as a world-class facility that delivers expert services to local and international athletes daily. To ensure the growth and sustainability of the HPI as a world-class facility, the HPI under the leadership of director, Jean Verster in partnership with NWU Sport is currently constructing a new HPI building and multipurpose sporting centre to increase capacity and services for students and athletes.
Construction already started in early 2020, with lockdown slowing down the estimated completion of the project. Still, plans are going ahead steadily to complete the new HPI building by June. The facility will be located next to the NWU swimming pool (the old Piet Malan building). The current HPI building will be used for administration and academic purposes. The director of NWU Sport, Sheldon Rostron, is excited at the thought of the new HPI building. It will be three times the size of the current HPI and will include even more services and collaboration with the Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) among other world-class entities.
“This will be a new state of the art facility that will chart a new pathway for NWU Sport. The idea is to create a space where sporting culture is promoted. We want the new building to act as the flagship for NWU Sport,” stated Rostron. He added that NWU Sports would focus on four key sports, namely, cricket, athletics, hockey and tennis, to increase opportunities in those areas regarding the facilities. The NWU will want to build on what they have and expand their services, especially concerning smaller sports.
“We serve a large sporting community, which will only increase over time. This includes the public and schools. We want to partner with athletes and different sporting codes at a high-performance level to be the country’s top sporting facility. Potchefstroom’s location is also beneficial because it is near a major airport and other nearby attractions,” emphasised Rostron.
The new HPI will be a three-floor building with numerous expansion opportunities. There will be a sauna and dedicated rugby and athletics gym, among many other exciting services that will be revealed nearer to completion.
“The dream is to service more clients in various sectors, not just at a student level. This is a great commercial opportunity for NWU Sport to create a sports hostel where athletes’ sports and studies can be better balanced and managed. We also want to focus on creating a culture of wellness and better general health too,” said Rostron.
