Covered Courts opened in Edinburgh after a million-pound investment in grassroots tennis

The club, which also offers cricket, hockey and squash, as well as outdoor tennis and now padel, received a Quick Access Loan from the LTA Tennis Foundation to develop their facilities, with club funds and member loans making up the big investment.   

A part of the Quick Access Loan agreement is the development of a community outreach programme that supports the LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation’s vision of ‘tennis opened up.’  

The club, which was also supported by Tennis Scotland as it developed its plans, already allows non-members to access its eight outside courts but as part of this project, they will also open up the new covered courts for Pay and Play, meaning more people in the local community can easily access tennis. 

The new courts will create more year-round playing opportunities for existing members and enable the club to increase their membership. The padel courts launched in November and the club has seen a massive influx of new players. The covered tennis courts opened on Monday (16th December.) The club plans an official opening of the brand new facilities early in the new year to celebrate the completion of the work.   

The Quick Access Loan Scheme is funded by the LTA Tennis Foundation, the LTA’s official charity, and delivered by the LTA. The loans have been designed to ensure there will always be financial support for facilities investment in clubs and venues. The LTA Property team works with the venue to ensure the payment schedule is manageable.  

Since the scheme launched in 2019, £13.2m has been invested across 114 projects. This includes 147 tennis courts, 28 indoor courts, 34 covered padel courts, and multiple floodlight installations.

Rick Symington, chair of The Grange Club, said: “Having the ability to play all year round and not worry about the elements will make a tremendous difference - normally for tennis, you expect people to join in the spring, when the weather gets better, but we've had a lot more new joiners wanting to get on the tennis courts. With the weather becoming ever more changeable, the ability to play inside will be truly transformative. 

“There's already been an incredible demand and interest in the new padel facilities too. We’ve got over 100 people on the waitlist already.   

“The Quick Access Loan enabled the Club to complete the entire project at the same time saving on time, money and disruption in the long term.” 

Sophie Curthoys, LTA Investment Manager said: “Clubs and venues are more than just a place to play tennis or padel - they are a community, and a place to catch up with friends. The LTA and the LTA Tennis Foundation are invested in supporting them to develop their facilities, and the Quick Access Loan Scheme is a great way for us to achieve that. The scheme has been designed to increase the number of people playing tennis and padel and help ensure long-term sustainability for the venue and its members.”  

The new courts at The Grange Club follows on from the creation of additional  facilities in the city. The Oriam Indoor Tennis Centre (ITC), had its official opening at the start of the year. Featuring six new courts at Heriot-Watt University and costing £4.5 million, the impressive 4000sq/m structure was funded in partnership between Oriam, Heriot-Watt University, the LTA, LTA Tennis Foundation, sportscotland and Tennis Scotland through the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis (TSIT) fund. 

The city has also seen a number of tennis courts refurbished in local parks. St Margaret’s Park in Corstorphine Village, Victoria Park located in the Trinity area, Inverleith Park in the north and Leith Links have seen an investment of more than £150,000.  

Kirsty Humphries, Head of Facilities at Tennis Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see the ambition of everyone at The Grange Club become a reality and I have no doubt that their efforts will be transformative. They have done a tremendous job at every stage of the process, from planning to fundraising and seeing the project through to completion. 

 “Their new facilities are a very welcome addition to the indoor tennis and padel offering in Scotland and I hope they will inspire other clubs to consider what is possible. 

 “Following the opening of two new indoor tennis centres with Oriam, based at Heriot-Watt University and Elgin in Moray, along with plans for a third centre in Dumfries and Galloway, this has been significant year for tennis facilities in Scotland. We all look forward to working with more partners to develop their plans in 2025.”