Our Story
Our Story
NAYC/ACUK built Benham Sports Centre in 1989 and was opened by the late Queen Mother in 1990. It was based on the facilities at Hereward Wake House but six times the size. One of the most popular activities, roller skating, was brought to the new centre. A dedicated indoor Trampoline Centre was added in 2006 for the NTGA.
Benham Sports Centre is part of King’s Park Conference and Sports Centre. In 1998 King’s Park Tennis Centre was opened consisting of 4 indoor and 4 outdoor tennis courts and is a base for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). In 2024 two of the outdoor courts were turned into an all weather multi sports area.
Who We Are
King’s Park Sports is operated by ACUK (Action Centres Ltd), and owned by our charity NAYC (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs). King’s Park Sports is dedicated to unlocking the potential of every child or individual who enters our doors.
We work closely with our onsite residential conference centre (King’s Park Conference) and Northamptonshire Trampoline Gymnastic Academy (NTGA) who run the world class trampoline centre and offer gymnastics & climbing activities at the centre. We also work with Northamptonshire Sports, NTC (Northampton Tennis Coaching), Sk8house and The Cube Disability.
Our Christian Values and Beliefs
Our values trace their origins to the humble beginnings of the NAYC charity. Our primary goal is to aid, support, and educate young people, with a particular focus on fostering physical, mental and spiritual development.
Action Centres and NAYC
Our organisation operates under the umbrella of two distinct entities:
NAYC (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs) and ACUK (Action Centres UK Ltd), our trading company. ACUK oversees and manages several activity, conference, sports and training centres, including King’s Park Conference Centre, King’s Park Sports, Pioneer Centre and Whitemoor Lakes. Whilst our roots are in Northamptonshire, not all of our centres are located within the county.
The surplus generated by ACUK, through the operation of these centres, serves as a vital source of support for NAYC’s charitable endeavours. This unique structure allows us to extend our reach beyond Northamptonshire, impacting communities, young people and individuals across various regions, while ensuring a sustainable flow of resources to fulfil our charitable mission.
Together we are committed to make a positive and far-reaching impact on the lives of young people and communities – releasing their potential!
Since 1961 we have stood firm on our mission to help and educate young people through leisure-time activities. Over the years we have been the forerunner of many different initiatives to help and support young people.
NAYC Youthwork
NAYC plays a pivotal role as an infrastructure organisation in Northamptonshire, delivering crucial youth services to the Voluntary VCSFE sector. We actively collaborate with our members in local communities to address the needs of young people. Our dedicated Youthwork Team is engaged in supporting essential work across four primary workstreams: Youth Provision, Activities Delivery, Volunteer Training, and Young People’s Leadership.
Find out more about our work here.
NAYC and Discovery Centre Uganda
This unique facility was born out of a vision of NAYC to develop a centre based on similar principles to their centre in the UK, but expressed in a way that is relevant to a third world situation. The centre overlooks Lake Victoria in very beautiful grounds extending to over 20 acres.
Interested? Find out more here.
