New £1.63 million tennis facility at Moray Sports Centre welcomes first players
THE first players have taken to the court at the brand-new £1.63 million tennis facility at Moray Sports Centre in Elgin.
The new four-court centre welcomed its first players this week - at the height of Wimbledon fever - although not all courts are ready for play at this stage.
While anyone can pop in, there will be access to coaching programmes and competitions for those who take their sport a little more seriously.
Iain Stokes, CEO of Moray Sports Foundation, said: “With the country in the grips of Wimbledon fever, we are 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 have ambitions on becoming world number one or just want to play for fun, we can’t wait to welcome you to Moray Sports Centre.”
The facility was delivered in a partnership between Moray Sports Foundation, SportScotland, the LTA, LTA Tennis Foundation and Tennis Scotland through the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis Fund.
Courts at the newly-opened centre have been constructed using indoor hard-court playing surfaces.
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.”
Blane Dodds, Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland said: “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.
“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.”
