Celebrating the Grand Opening of Our High-Performance Centre at Oaklands

At Oaklands College, we believe that sport is more than just a game—it’s a platform for growth, discipline, and excellence. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the official opening of our brand new High-Performance Centre, a cutting-edge facility designed to support the next generation of sporting talent.

A Centre Built for Excellence

The High-Performance Centre has been purpose-built to provide our student-athletes with the resources, environment, and support they need to thrive—both on and off the field. Whether they’re pursuing careers in professional sport, aiming for international scholarships, or simply striving to be their best selves, this centre will be a hub for high-level development.

It’s a major step forward in our ongoing commitment to sport and performance culture at Oaklands. We’ve always recognised the power of sport to transform lives—and now we have a space that reflects that belief.

A Day to Remember

To celebrate the launch, we were delighted to welcome students, staff, alumni, and members of the local community to our official opening ceremony. The atmosphere was electric, filled with pride, excitement, and a shared vision for the future.

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Daisy Cooper MP and Annie Brewster for officially cutting the ribbon and marking the beginning of this exciting new chapter.

Inspiring Words from the Best

The event featured two phenomenal guest speakers who perfectly embodied the values we stand for:

• Chris Murray – Commonwealth Gold Medallist, 2022
• Jackson Wray – Saracens Rugby legend and proud Oaklands alumnus

Both shared powerful insights on the importance of a high-performance mindset—highlighting how focus, resilience, and belief can fuel incredible achievements. Their words resonated deeply with our students and served as a strong reminder that success isn’t just about talent, but about culture, support, and hard work.

Thank You to Our Q&A Panel

A special thank you goes to our brilliant panel of staff, alumni, partners, and current students who took part in our Q&A session, sharing their journeys, experiences, and reflections on what high performance means to them.

Staff speakers included:

• Niamh McHugh - Saracens Womens Pathway Lead
• Shanice Beckford-Norton - Oaklands Wolves SLBW Captain and coach
• Henry Latimer - Cycling Academy Endurance Expert
• Jordan Thomas - Head of Karate and High Performance Manager

Alumni speakers included:

• Mia McIntosh - British track and field athlete European Athletics U18 Championship 100 meters hurdles winner

• Jeriel Quainoo - British number 2 and European Championship 200m semi-finalist (2024)
• Seth Wylie - BUCS Men's Champions Loughborough Basketball, Leicester Riders

Partner speakers included:

• Lewis Sones - Senior Coach and Performance Pathway Manager for Saracens Women 
• Mike Hynard - Saracens Men’s Academy Manager
• Dips Patel - CEO of KitKing/KitQueen

Current students from our Hockey, Cycling, and Netball programmes also represented the future of Oaklands sport with pride, enthusiasm, and professionalism.

Their stories were not only inspiring, but a clear testament to the strength of our performance programmes and the support network behind them.

More Than Just a Facility

At Oaklands, sport plays a vital role in our college experience. It teaches our students how to lead, how to persevere, and how to rise after setbacks. The High-Performance Centre is more than just a physical space—it’s a symbol of ambition and a promise to every learner that their goals matter, and that we’ll be there to help them achieve them.

We look forward to seeing the Centre thrive as a place where athletes train, teams grow stronger, and dreams are pursued with passion.

Here's to the future of sport at Oaklands—stronger, faster, and more inspired than ever.