FAMILIES went head to head with each other at a sports centre open day.

Essex University hosted the open day at the Essex Sport Arena at the Wivenhoe campus.

Families could take part in taster sessions for a range of sports, including the state-of-the-art gym.

Simon Lister, business development manager for sport at the university, organised the event.

He said: “This was our second open day, we held our first one in January and as it was so successful we did another one.

“This time we introduced the Essex Rebels which are the county’s only professional women’s basketball team.

“They were a bit of a showcase for us and it was the first time they had all been together.”

The organisers profiled all the children’s courses including dance, zumba, cheerleading and tennis.

There was also badminton, table tennis, karate and a lot of emphasis on futsal.

Simon added: “There were activities for adults as well. Everyone loved it and the key thing for us was seeing families doing sporting activities together.

“For the table tennis we had four tables and there wasn’t a spare space for the whole day.

“We wanted to open up the centre to the wider community as there is a misconception it is just for students.”