IT MAY have been a bleak weekend for English rugby, but it was a great one for young sportsmen in Oxford.

The Oxford Academy in Littlemore officially opened its multi-million pound sports facilities, which include a new sports dome.

It was launched by legendary Oxford athlete Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.

Sir Roger, 82, said: “In my life I have visited a lot of schools, talked to a lot of aspiring sportsmen and it is still my firm belief this kind of facility gives the best start in life.

“My own four-minute mile was the result of a failure at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 when I was expected to win but only came fourth. I felt so disappointed in myself so I wanted to leave it there.

“But two years later, I broke the four minute mile.”

Sir Roger took a tour of the new buildings, accompanied by principal Mike Reading and Oxford United chairman Kelvin Thomas.

The facilities form part of the £30m new academy, formerly Peers School.

They include a new astro turf pitch, a multi-use games hall, £70,000 of gym equipment, a dance studio and a physiotherapy room.

The facilities will be open to community clubs and groups from across the city. The sports dome itself can be used for both football and rugby.

Mr Reading said: “This all reflects the passion we have for being part of the community. If you are going to be having a facility as good as this, we want to make sure it will be used by everyone.

“And for the students, it has a big impact on their motivation and self worth, to see they are being supported like this.”

Mr Thomas said: “The facilities are great. We are partners of the Oxford Academy so a lot of our teams will come here and use it in winter months.

“The first team will also be coming here when the weather gets bad.”

He added: “Things definitely weren’t like this when I was at school. As a country as a whole we are lacking in facilities, so this is a great way to sort that out.”

Year 13 footballer David Newbold, from Blackbird Leys, said: “You can’t knock it at all.

“It’s just a lot nicer and better than what we had before – which was a manky sports hall, an empty swimming pool and shabby fields.”

He added: “I want to get into physiotherapy, so it’s perfect for me.”

Former pupil Jordan Daniel , 18, added: “The school has changed a lot, I was here when it was Peers and it’s improved so much.

“It’s just a shame we didn’t the opportunity to play here.”