ATHLETES, netball players and golfers could be among the beneficiaries when a vision to upgrade the decaying facilities at Southampton Sports Centre is unveiled tomorrow night.

The city's leisure chiefs believe that by selling or leasing the 7.1 acres of prime real estate that makes up the old nursery site, it could generate money to breathe new life into the golf course and ski slope, provide improved facilities for such sports as netball and hockey and give athletes the much-needed indoor training and changing facilities they craved for more than 20 years.

In the case of athletics, Southampton has been designated a regional centre of excellence, which means Sport England would substantially lighten the council's financial burden by providing funding of up to two-thirds for, say, a sports hall and/or grandstand.

The process kicks off with a meeting of the Sports Centre Users' Group at the Civic Centre tonight when two representatives from each sport will get their first view of the consultative document.

Although stubborn opposition is expected, particularly from Conversative councillors who are staunchly protective of the Sports Centre's natural beauty, Southampton leisure chiefs want fixed plans in place before next year's local elections.

Speaking at the annual dinner of the area's leading athletics club, Team Solent, Councillor Derek Burke, the executive member for leisure, said: "Our legacy has to be to leave something for the young athletes of the next generation.

"We've done the preliminary work into what it is going to look like and Sport England are on board with us. Part of the reason for tomorrow's meeting is so that clubs can share our vision and then lobby their national bodies for support."

It was largely due to determined lobbying from Team Solent chairman Mike Smith that the Sports Centre running track was upgraded from six to eight lanes as part of the facelift for last year's Millennium Youth Games.

As coach to sprint greats Kriss Akabusi, Roger Black and Iwan Thomas, star-maker Smith has helped make Southampton an athletics stronghold against all odds and said: "Everybody, including the council officers, knows that we haven't got the auxiliary facilities to go with what is now a very good track.

"It's been so bad that years ago ITV filmed a ten-minute piece on my sprint group training at the Thornhill Boys' Club and jumping over chairs. But, despite everything, UK Athletics recognises this as a good area for regional development and I'm delighted that there is a genuine feeling among council officers that facilities need to improve."