A SPORTS park designed to give young people free sporting activities has been launched in a multi-storey car park in Newport.

About 50 young people attended the launch night at the Park Square Sports Park to show off their skills, with the help of Newport City Council’s sports development team.

The initiative has seen a floor of Park Square multi-storey car park, located in the city centre, turned into a caged sports area for young people to use free of charge.

Speaking about the initiative, the council’s cabinet member for leisure and culture, Councillor Mark Whitcutt, said: “The Park Square Sports Park utilises a normally unused space and makes sport accessible to young people who may not have had an interest in it before.

“This project highlights what can be done with a bit of creativity to get more young people engaged in sport and physical activity,” he added.

“I hope this project continues to grow in popularity introducing sport to youngsters.”

The Park Square Sports Park initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in Wales and offers an urban space for youngsters to use for free in the evenings.

The project is aimed at young people who are not members of sports clubs but simply want to play sport with friends.

The council also hopes to reduce anti-social behaviour by relieving boredom.

The free sports sessions will be held every Wednesday evening, between 6pm and 8pm at Park Square car park.