Council nets £119k to reopen tennis courts not used in 15 years
LTA GRANT wILL ALLOw SPORT TO
A DERBYSHIRE town will see nearly £120,000 invested to improve sports facilities in the area.
Amber Valley Borough Council have paired with The Lawn Tennis Association to bring the four tennis courts at Alfreton Recreation Ground back to life.
The Grange Street courts were last used for the sport 15 years ago and £119,000 is being made available for the project.
Cllr John McCabe said: “We are committed to providing good quality and accessible leisure facilities for the benefit of our local community.
“This grant, alongside funding from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), is a fantastic opportunity to make significant improvements to sports facilities for our community. It will bring back in to use under-utilised courts at grassroots level.”
The courts will be upgraded as part of the refurbishment works and improvements will also be made to the accessibility and security of the site.
There will be a digitally-coded gate access system installed, a new method of booking which improves court access for tennis.
Players will be able to book online via the LTA website, making it far easier to find and book a court. There will also be a netball court marked out which will also be available to book.
The Park Refurbishment Programme is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation. The LTA’s mission is to grow tennis by making it “relevant, accessible, welcoming, and enjoyable”.
It aims to bring existing park tennis courts across the country, which are in poor or unplayable condition, back to life for the benefit of communities.
Park tennis courts are vital in providing opportunities for children and adults to get active, delivering significant physical and mental health and well-being benefits to participants. Accessible facilities in parks are particularly critical, opening up the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.
Alongside the investment, Amber Valley Borough Council will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activities across the park sites. This will include weekly organised free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experiences where equipment is provided, meaning people will not need someone to play with or their own racket.
Cllr McCabe added: “Back in 2022, this site was identified in the AVBC Playing Pitch Strategy as a facility that should be investigated to see if it was feasible to bring back into use.
So, we are delighted it was
also a site the LTA considered suitable for funding under its Park Refurbishment Programme.
Julie Porter, chief operating officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Amber Valley Borough Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active. This investment is part of the UK Government and LTA’s Parks Tennis Project and will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come.
“We will also be working closely with Amber Valley Borough Council to ensure the local community has a range of accessible opportunities to get on the court and open up our sport to many more people.” The works are due to be completed as soon as May this year – perfect timing for the build-up to Wimbledon.
This grant is a fantastic opportunity to make significant improvements to sports facilities for our community. Cllr McCabe