WORK is well under way to renovate seven of the city council’s parks-based tennis courts as part of a £420,000 transformation.
Leicester City Council is working in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to bring about the improvements, which will include new asphalt surfacing, replacement nets and net posts, fencing repairs, court re-painting and new entrance gates.
The project is funded by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation as part of a £30 million nationwide investment, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish thousands of public tennis courts across Great Britain, and open up the sport to many more people. More than 1,500 courts have been completed through the project so far.
When the seven courts in Leicester parks have been renovated, the council will appoint an operator to provide a range of activities across the sites, including tennis coaching and weekly organised, free sessions for people of all ages, where rackets will be provided.
The operator will also run a booking system for the courts which will be available at a cost of £42 a year for a family of six, or on a pay and play basis of £6 per session.
The same concessions currently on offer in city council leisure centres will apply, meaning that city residents with disabilities, or who are on means-tested benefits will not be charged to book.
The introduction of an online booking system across the sites through the LTA Play Tennis website will make it easier for players to find, book and get on court. Income from the booking system will go back into the courts to ensure they remain well maintained in the future.
The investment follows a successful pilot at Victoria Park which has seen 382 household memberships sold and over 2,000 casual court bookings made.
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Leicester City 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 the council to ensure that the local community have a range of accessible opportunities to get on court, and open up our sport to many more people.”
Cllr Adam Clarke, deputy city mayor responsible for sport said: “We welcome this investment which will improve people’s experience on our tennis courts. This operating model will provide high quality tennis provision across the city that will ensure the tennis courts are maintained to this high standard for many years to come. We look forward to working with the LTA, particularly to offer free sessions to encourage more people to enjoy tennis.”
The courts are located at Abbey Park (pictured), Aylestone Hall Gardens, Humberstone Park, Knighton Park, Monks Rest Gardens, Rushey Fields and Evington Park.
When the courts are ready to re-open, people will be able to book sessions via the Lawn Tennis Association website at www.lta.org.uk/play
The courts at Victoria Park are open for booking now.