Construction has commenced on a football-themed entertainment venue backed by a number of ex-players at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.
Ballerz will occupy 26,000 sq ft inside a purpose-built all-weather ‘air dome’ on one of the centre’s car parks. The venue, which is backed by former footballers Rio Ferdinand, Bobby Zamora, Roberto Carlos and Mark Noble, will host a range of specialist session-based activities designed by professional footballers and coaches.
Ballerz will feature a seven-aside 5G football pitch complete with Premier League-style changing rooms, stadium seating, players tunnel and cameras that will give players instant pitch-side replays of the action, which can then be shared on social media. A specialist skills zone will also be equipped with market-leading METRIX technology, providing players with stats and rankings.
Mark Warne, brand account director for hospitality and leisure at Landsec, said: “Successful leisure concepts add value to retail destinations, giving guests more reasons to visit by providing an all-day experience. Competitive socialising venues in particular are growing in popularity and guests are looking to try something new.
“Ballerz is a unique concept which combines competitive socialising with fitness and skills training, allowing it to appeal to a wide range of audiences. Once open, its certain to enhance the leisure offer at the centre further, giving guests even more reasons to visit.”
Rio Ferdinand added: “Football is more than just a sport, it’s entertainment, it’s exercise, it’s community. At Ballerz we bring this all together for existing fans to enjoy and inspire a whole new generation of future fans.”
Roberto Carlos said: “Ballerz has the most innovative tech that is available. It’s amazing that you can hire a pitch, watch back your goals and retrieve all of your data. We’re creating something that has never been done before.”
