The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
£3m indoor tennis centre served up in St Andrews.
University to build four-court arena th at will be available for use by sch ools and th e public
Scotland is to get a state-of-the-art indoor tennis centre to satisfy the demand for year-round access to a sport in which the nation is now a world leader.
A new, four-court arena is to be built in St Andrews with the aim of encouraging more people to pursue tennis at all levels.
The £3 million centre is being funded by St Andrews University, sportscotland, Tennis Scotland, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), a private donor and the St Andrews alumni community. It will be built at the university’s sports centre at St Leonard’s Road.
St Andrews is investing more than £14m in its sports facilities, which have won praise from Manchester United, Barcelona, Dundee United, Scottish Rugby and a host of other professional teams who are regular visitors to Fife for training camps.
The new centre will allow the university to achieve its aim of running a comprehensive and inclusive tennis programme that caters for increasing participation, competitive opportunities and coaching for all ages and levels.
Schools in Fife will have regular access to the centre on school days, and student tennis players will be encouraged to work with youngsters to develop coaching and volunteering experience. The centre will also cater for a rapidly growing student tennis club programme, from recreational to top team level.
Mike Aitken, St Andrews’ director of tennis, said: “The building of a four-court indoor centre is hugely exciting for the whole tennis community. It will be a fantastic venue offering a full coaching and competitive programme, as well as pay and play for members of the community.
“We will cater for students, staff, schools, local clubs and disability groups by offering sessions for all levels. We will also play our part in the district, Tennis Scotland and LTA development plans with competition, player development and coach education.
“We hope to run a programme that will get more people playing more tennis at whatever level, and provide a great experience for those using the facility.”
Tennis Scotland interim chief executive officer Pete Nicholson said: “Tennis Scotland is delighted to support this exciting development, which fits perfectly with our ambitious, evolving Facilities Strategy.
“We look forward to forging many similar indoor partnerships across Scotland and will be confirming the application process for our new Indoor Tennis Fund in April.”
Work on the new centre will begin this week and the facility is expected to be complete in September.
St Andrews’ director of sport, Stephen Stewart, said: “The tennis club enjoys one of the highest participation rates of any sport at the university and has over 200 members.
“Whilst the existing outdoor courts are hugely popular, their use is wholly weather dependent and our ability to develop tennis as a key sport has therefore been enormously compromised.
“We are thoroughly delighted that with the installation of the new, four-court indoor tennis centre, we will now be able to offer our students, local schools and the community the opportunity to train and play in a quality, fit-for-purpose facility all year round.”
We are thoroughly delighted that ... we will now be able to offer our students, local schools and the community the opportunity to train and play in a quality, fit-for-purpose facility all year round. STEPHEN STEWART