A Look Into the New Fantofthall
The newly renovated Fantoft training center is now open. The new hall includes more space, new equipment and an e-sport room.
Last semester Sammen could reveal that the training center at Fantoft was being rebuilt to accommodate the increase of customers at the center.
Friday 6th of September, Trene Sammen opened the newly-renovated Fantoft training center to the public. The opening started with the official ribbon cutting and cake. Afterwards, the whole center opened for visitors.
The new center is enlarged by 2000 square meters with a total size of over 5000 square meters, as well as many other activity rooms with new equipment. The Fantofthall now includes:
- bigger and newer training and fitness rooms
- gym hall
- squash room
- e-sport room
- golf simulators
- climbing wall room
48,5 Million Kroner Renovation
Among 200-300 people visited the new center at the opening. The director of Trene Sammen, Bård Johansen, is excited.
– The whole renovation cost 48,5 million kroner completed with the loan. However, we did not go over our budget, says Johansen.
– We now have created a nice socializing spot; a lobby where people can meet. Also we now have a huge TV-screen that can screen matches or TV-shows.
Some of the new activities include an e-sport room and a golf simulator. Trene Sammen’s director says that the idea of the e-sport room was that they wanted people to come to the center to socialize.
With different equipment combined with a good location, Johansen thinks the center has a big potential.
– The hall is accessible for people from the different parts of the town because its location near the Bybane.
Sammen is also planning to expand more centers. City and later the center at Kronstad.
Students are Satisfied
Henrik Waage Tjore, student and the leader of the student council at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), loves the new center. Fantoft is located just a few minutes from the HVL campus by Bybane, therefore many students will have the opportunity to visit.
He is also excited about the e-sport room.
– It is amazing that I can play FIFA here. I did not think that one could be gaming in a fitness center, and then workout, says Tjore.
A Social Arena
Tjore praises the new equipment, but also that Sammen wants to make the center a social arena for students.
Adrian Stinessen Haugen, the board member of the Norwegian Student Sport Association, agrees.
– Students can come here and socialize with others instead of gaming at home. This is a great way for people to meet others with the same interests, and at the same time make them more active, says Haugen.
Both Josephine Salice, a physics student, and Synnøve Johansen, a petroleum and process technology student, thinks that it is cool that Sammen have expended the center.
Salice is a worker in the center herself, and she was working there before the expansion.
– It was good before, but now is much more space and it looks like everyone can enjoy the center because of the new activities.
– All the rooms have many good things to offer. Especially, the training one. The ventilation is also better, adds student Johansen.
She says that Trene Sammen did a great job with the renovation.