Tennis players in and around Olney will welcome more courts and more time to play on them following new facilities and floodlights unveiled this weekend at the Tennis Club.
The club can now offer extended playing hours as well as four courts all year round thanks to a £22,950 grant from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), with support from Sport England.
The grant is part of the LTA’s commitment to improve playing facilities and enhance access to tennis nationwide.
The club marked the completion of the project with a day of social competition encouraging more people to pick up a racket. The morning began with junior competitions including players aged five and above and finished off with a 32 person American Tournament for adults and juniors.
Simon Barter, Chairman of Olney Tennis Club, joined in the day for the official opening.
Simon said: “Olney is one of the fastest growing small clubs in the county with the most members per court, so thanks to the LTA and other supporter’s investments we’ve been able to meet the demands of our members and provide more courts and longer playing time on them with the addition of the floodlights.
“We’ve grown from around 180 members to 300 in the last couple of years and with the new facilities on offer we can balance demand against the facilities and be able to maintain the high level we’re working at and continue to progress.”
The new floodlit court was officially opened by the Mayor of Olney, Michael Hughes and other special guests represented groups that provided grants to help the project take effect. The Mayor, cut the tape to open the new court watched by Club Chairman Simon Barter and Bucks LTA Chairman Keith Dewick.
The Mayor said: "I am delighted to open the court to give Olney Tennis Club an extended facility and let even more local people enjoy the game".
Tennis Development Manager for Buckinghamshire, Rob Ellis added: “Olney Tennis Club is talked about throughout the County because of the fantastic work the team there do. They can currently boast more than 100 competing juniors on a regular basis, which is an unbelievable number for this size club, they are certainly a club always able to punch above their weight.
“Being able to support them in gaining these great new facilities we hope they can continue to not only grow but also to sustain and retain their current membership.”
Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair, said: "It's vital that public funding for sport goes into facilities that meet the highest standards, are welcoming, and cater for everyone. That's how we’re going to get more people using them every day.
“The new floodlights and courts at OIney Tennis Club will offer better playing facilities for its members and encourage more people from the local community to get involved in the sport."
The funding has been provided as part of British Tennis’ facilities strategy which has received substantial investment from Sport England. This makes an important contribution to the drive to increase tennis opportunities for people to participate, compete and get access to coaching at all levels of the game in communities nationwide.
The LTA makes financial support available through its resources and ensures investments will deliver the maximum return for British tennis through more people playing and more hours on the court across Britain. There will be an increase in the number and standard of facilities nationwide which will be available to the whole community at a reasonable, affordable cost.
To find out where your nearest court is, visit: www.lta.org.uk/playtennis
-ENDS-
For more information please contact:
Laura Whitehouse
LTA Communications Manager
laura.whitehouse@lta.org.uk
0208 487 7193
07779 001601
Notes to Editors
• The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is the national governing body for British tennis, which supports and governs the sport
• The total cost of the redevelopment is £50,000. The LTA has contributed £22,960 to the cost of the redevelopment, supported by Whole Sport Plan funding from Sport England, with the club and other supporters contributing the remainder
• Sport England is a major investor in British Tennis through the LTA, and supports the LTA’s work to increase and sustain participation and identify and develop talent, including through substantial investment in facilities improvements
• Improving places where people play tennis is a major priority for British Tennis. All clubs receiving investment are required to be Tennis Clubmark accredited or working towards Tennis Clubmark, and are required to demonstrate increases in participation as a result of the investment
• Clubmark provides clubs and other places to play tennis with the tools and resources they need to ensure they are delivering a quality tennis development programme and operating in line with best practice
• The LTA prioritises investments that support year-round tennis and extended playing hours. Around 80% of LTA capital investment in places to play tennis is currently in floodlit or indoor facilities
To find out where your nearest court is, visit: www.lta.org.uk/playtennis
For more information on the LTA and British tennis, visit: www.lta.org.uk