Major milestone as new indoor tennis centre opens in Moray
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A new four-court indoor tennis centre has opened in Moray - in a major milestone for the ongoing transformation of community facilities across Scotland.
The centre, at Moray Sports Centre in Elgin, welcomed its first players onto court this week and will provide a vital and popular addition to the sporting infrastructure in the region and beyond.
Costing £1.63 million, the four indoor courts have been delivered in partnership between Moray Sports Foundation, sportscotland, the LTA, the LTA Tennis Foundation and Tennis Scotland through the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis (TSIT) fund.
It is the second such project to open this year following the new six-court indoor tennis centre at Oriam, at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
The courts have been constructed using indoor hard-court playing surfaces and are ideal for both recreational and competitive tennis.
With a firm focus on growing participation in tennis, the centre will create boundless opportunities for adults and children of all ages and abilities to pick up a racket and get on court. And with plenty of court time available, there will also be access to coaching programmes and competitions for those who take their sport a little more seriously.
Blane Dodds, Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland, said: “The opening of the new indoor tennis centre in Moray is another major milestone in the transformation of facilities around Scotland.
“Each partner has worked tirelessly to reach this stage, and my congratulations go to Moray Sports Foundation and everyone else involved in the project now that this stunning centre has opened for the tennis community in the north of Scotland.
“Tennis is thriving in Scotland with record club membership and increasing participation, therefore investment in new facilities is vital to ensure we have the capacity to match the appetite for our sport. We won’t stop here, however, and we look forward to announcing further projects soon.”
Iain Stokes, CEO of Moray Sports Foundation, said: “With the country in the grips of Wimbledon fever, we’re delighted to have opened a state-of-the-art indoor tennis facility at Moray Sports Centre – allowing all those inspired by what they see on TV to get on the court themselves with a racket in hand.
“Having this calibre of indoor tennis provision in Elgin is a real boost for the north of Scotland, setting the region up to inspire and nurture the next generation of great tennis talent.
“We are grateful to all the partners who have supported and funded this project, allowing us to bring tennis to Moray on a scale never seen before. Whether you’ve ambitions on becoming world number one or just want to play for fun, we can’t wait to welcome you to Moray Sports Centre.”
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop, said: “This is a significant development for tennis in Scotland. I must commend our partners on this project who share our ambition to improve indoor tennis facilities across the country.
“This facility will improve access to tennis in Moray markedly and provide an environment for people to enjoy the sport, whatever level they aspire to, for years to come. We will continue to work with Tennis Scotland, the LTA and local partners to ensure Scottish tennis has a bright future.”
Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive of the LTA, said: “We are absolutely delighted that this impressive indoor tennis facility at Moray is now open. The LTA is committed to working closely with all our partners in Scotland to increase the number of indoor courts across the country in the years to come.
“With the new six-court Oriam Indoor Tennis Centre in Edinburgh completed and flourishing, along with exciting plans for developing more facilities in the pipeline, this is a great example of our vision to open up tennis to many more people all year-round.’’
