Barnet Copthall is a leisure complex in Hendon

Hendon

Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 NW4

NW postcode area

The NW postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering part of northwest London, England...

, near the border with Mill Hill.

Today, the complex houses a local authority-owned swimming pool, athletics stadium and gymnasium facilities. There is also a private golf driving range

Driving range

A driving range is an area where golfers can practice their swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range attached and they are also found as stand-alone facilities, especially...

 on the site.

The complex perhaps achieved its greatest fame when London Crusaders made the athletics stadium their home for two seasons of second division professional rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 between 1993 and 1994.

The stadium is today home to two athletics clubs, Barnet & District AC and Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, as well as non-league

Non-league football

Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...

 football club Kentish Town

Kentish Town F.C.

Kentish Town F.C. is an English football club affiliated to the London and Football Associations. Kentish Town take their name from an area of the London Borough of Camden called Kentish Town...

.

In November 2010, the rugby union Premiership side Saracens

Saracens F.C.

Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...

, searching for a new home after their landlord Watford F.C.

Watford F.C.

Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

activated a break clause in their groundshare agreement, revealed they were in discussions with Barnet Borough Council about a move to the stadium. Under the plan, Saracens would redevelop the stadium into a modern facility with 3,000 permanent seats. Demountable stands would allow a capacity of 10,000 for rugby matches whilst retaining the stadium's ability to host athletics events. Finally, the plans call for the use of an artificial pitch, the first in English rugby.

As of May 2011, the project was still awaiting final approval from Barnet Council. This led Saracens and Watford to agree to a one-season extension of the groundshare agreement.

External links

• Barnet Copthall Stadium UK Running Track Directory