PLANS for a multi-million pound athletics stadium and football pitch at Weymouth Sports Club have been revealed.

Weymouth College, which plans to take over the centre at Redlands, said it hoped to make the town a south coast focal point for athletics excellence.

The jewel in the crown of the new centre will be a state-of-the-art floodlit athletics stadium with a grandstand while the pitch at its centre would become the new home of Chickerell United FC.

Proposals will also give Redlands a new pavilion and 16 new changing rooms, more parking and improvements to all existing pitches, with early work starting this August. The college is hoping to complete the entire project in 2011.

College deputy principal Paul Lonsdale said: "Weymouth College is extremely excited about the possibilities this union between us and Redlands represents, both for our students and the Weymouth community as a whole.

"We want to see Weymouth set the national standard for sporting excellence.

"For a long time there has been a groundswell for something to happen about athletics in the region and we have contacts all the clubs. They are as excited about this as we are."

Mr Lonsdale said the college could not make promises about it all happening because it needed a lot of partners involved to succeed.

He added: "It is our intention to create a nationally recognised centre of sporting excellence with athletics recognised as a significant part of it.

"There is no track of significant note in the region and we want to create one not just good enough to hold local events but regional ones as well.

"The overall cost, the athletics, football and other facilities, will run into several million pounds.

"As part of that we hope to construct a grandstand for hundreds of spectators and also have a showcase football pitch in its centre which, if it all goes ahead, will be the new home for Chickerell United FC.

"Initial work on changing rooms starts in August and we hope everything will be finished in 2011."

Redlands general manager Tim Kingman said the plans would benefit the whole community.

He added: "The centre was built in 1960 and since then has been added to but now it's crunch time.

"We need major new facilities to meet the modern requirements of a sporting community like Weymouth."

The plans mean outdated playing fields and changing rooms will be totally revamped and Weymouth Girls Under-15 captain Jody Urwin said: "It's the new look girls' football has been crying out for.

"The pitches at Redlands can be a bit water-logged and girls usually arrive and leave in their kits because there's no real changing facilities for us.

"I think the changes will make Redlands a lot better and will promote football in the town."