Work began on the £4.5 million Indoor Tennis Centre (ITC) in September 2022.  The impressive six court structure took just 18 months to complete and has been 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.   

A four court indoor centre was also launched in Moray in Elgin last July and work has just got underway on a new three court centre in Dumfries, which is due to welcome players at the end of this year.  

Oriam was built using the latest materials to ensure the courts boast some of the finest acrylic playing surfaces found anywhere in the country and are designed for use in both recreational and competitive matches. 

The indoor courts are located at Scotland's national performance centre for sport, at Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton campus in Edinburgh  and under a partnership with Tennis Scotland are used to put pros and juniors on Scottish national performance programmes through their paces. The Scottish Rugby Union and the Scottish Football Association also use it as a training facility, Heart of Midlothian F.C. rent the centre for first-team training and to run their academy. It is also used by other sports teams, students and members of the public. 

Since the official opening in February 2024, the brand-new courts have welcomed over 300 regular participants to the Tennis Programme with players aged from three-years-old and upwards. The number of tennis sessions doubled in the first 12 months with more planned for 2025. 

Oriam Tennis Programme  

During the first year, there’s been a rapid growth in players of all ages, picking up a racket and playing. This has ranged from the ever-popular Minis and Junior Tennis Programme, to weekly adult classes packing out the courts.    

Year One in numbers 

• Total hours on court - circa. 3,252 hours 

• Average Weekly Participants - 325 

• Weekly Classes Provided by End of Year 1 - 68 

Heriot-Watt Tennis Club  

Alongside the thriving Oriam community tennis programme, Heriot-Watt Tennis Club, attached to the university, has returned to train and compete at home on the Campus. Since moving all activities into the Tennis Centre, the club has boomed, with new club members of all abilities, from absolute beginners to seasoned competitors.

Year One in numbers 

• Membership - Grew by over 50% to 140 members
   

Tennis Scotland 

Tennis Scotland and LTA have worked closely together and played an integral part in creating the new Indoor Tennis Centre, right from its initial concept. In July 2024, the partnership with Tennis Scotland, saw coach and athlete training programmes developed at the facilities to drive participation at all levels. 

Danny Curtis the Tennis Manager has over 25 years’ experience in coaching and leads the delivery of an excellent kids and community programme.  

He said: “Oriam Indoor Tennis Centre has already achieved all its goals in just one year, becoming a hub of tennis activity. We like to think of ourselves as a destination for tennis in the Edinburgh area and across Scotland. We're striving to be nationally respected, and we believe we're well on our way to that. I can only see things getting better and better in the years to come."

Tennis Scotland and Oriam Partnership

Year One in numbers 

• Total hours of booked time on court – 3,947 

• Competition days held by Tennis Scotland - 34 

• Coach Education Days - 47 

Over the years there’s been growing calls for Scotland to develop additional top-level tennis facilities to service the demand from players across the country. The opening of Oriam ITC has encouraged players from across West Edinburgh, Midlothian, West Lothian and Fife driving participation in the sport.  

Sophie Curthoys, Senior Property Investment Manager at the LTA, said: “Congratulations to Oriam! We are all thrilled Oriam’s first year has proved to be so successful.  

“The LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation are committed to investing in Scotland, and more indoor facilities are vital to our ambition to open up tennis to new audiences. With Oriam thriving, along with Moray in Elgin too and the start of construction now underway at Dumfries and Galloway, these will enable more people to play all year round.’’ 

“We look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners to drive greater visibility and engagement in tennis and to get more people playing the sport.’’ 

Blane Dodds, Chief Executive at Tennis Scotland, said: “The indoor centre at Oriam has proven a great asset to the tennis infrastructure in Scotland. Young players in our performance programmes are benefitting massively from the fantastic facilities on offer.  

“Given the weather in Scotland, it’s vital that our coaches and players have access to high-quality indoor courts, and we value our flourishing partnership with the fantastic team at Oriam.” 

Oriam Indoor Tennis Centre 

Oriam ITC is open seven-days-a-week from 6:30am - 10pm Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm Saturday and 8am-10pm Sunday. Courts are available for players of all ages and abilities on a pay-as-you-play (PAYP) basis, meaning membership to Oriam is not required and helping ensure as many people as possible can access the sport. These can be booked up to 14 days in advance online, on our Oriam App, or at Oriam's Reception Desk. Oriam members benefit from a 20% discount on all PAYP tennis bookings.