TV star Matt Morsia is taking on a new kind of challenge by bringing a long-abandoned sports centre back to life.
The fitness fanatic, known to millions as Legend on BBC’s Gladiators, has revealed his plan to help transform Folkestone Sports Centre’s gym in a project close to his heart.
Matt Morsia is best known for being Legend in BBC’s Gladiators and now hopes to revive the gym at Folkestone Sports Centre. Picture: BBC
Speaking on his YouTube channel @MattDoesFitness, which has 2.36 million subscribers, he announced he has joined forces with The Sports Trust to redevelop the gym space at the leisure facility.
The sports centre, which has been closed since last year, recently received a lifeline after The Sports Trust confirmed plans to partially reopen the venue.
In his new video, Matt reflected on how important the sports centre was to his early life.
“When I started my YouTube channel nearly 13 years ago, I used to train in my local sports centre gym,” he told viewers.
The upstairs gym at Folkestone Sports Centre is going to be transformed under new plans. Picture: MattDoesFitnessA picture of what the new gym could look like upon completion. Picture: MattDoesFitness
“This was literally the gym that my channel was built on and although it was a bit rough around the edges I loved it and I’ve got so many awesome memories in this place.”
Now living in Hythe, Matt explained that his long-standing connection to the centre was a key reason for signing up to the project.
“Building a gym of this scale is something I’ve always wanted to do, particularly in my local area,” he added.
The video shows the current state of the building as Matt tours the site alongside Dan Hulme, CEO of The Sports Trust, who Matt says “literally saved it from extinction”.
Matt previously trained at the Folkestone Sports Centre “pretty much every day of the week”. Picture: MattDoesFitnessMatt Morsia was joined by CEO of The Sports Trust Dan Hulme for the video. Picture: MattDoesFitness
They walk through the derelict halls, from the boarded-up entrance and the old golf clubhouse to the upstairs gym area – the space Matt will be leading the transformation of.
The plan is to remove walls, extend floors, and create separate zones for different workouts.
“I want it to be used for athletes as well as the general population,” he said.
“The end goal would be it’s a gym for anyone, but it’s also a serious gym.”
Matt, who has already opened three Morsia gyms across the country, said this project is on another scale entirely.
He explained: “We’ve built three smaller gyms in the past, well four if you include my gym, but this is bigger – a lot bigger.”
Other parts of the complex that were involved in the tour included the two swimming pools – one drained, one full-, a climbing wall, and the dry ski slope, which nature has begun to reclaim.
The current state of the dry ski-slope at Folkestone Sports Centre. Picture: MattDoesFitnessThe Sports Trust want to open the swimming pool to the public by July 2026. Picture: MattDoesFitness
It was confirmed earlier this month that The Sports Trust aims to reopen the main swimming pool by July 2026.
At the end of the video, which has been viewed 87,000 times, Dan Hulme addressed the full timeline and explained that their focus would be on getting key facilities back up and running.
“For us, the crucial parts is going to be the pool, the gym and the sports hall,” he said.
“Everything else is really important to us, but the guys who ran this beforehand did an amazing job keeping it open for the community for 50 years and we need to make sure it’s got another 50 years ahead.”
