I was delighted to join an event that the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) held on New Palace Yard, in Westminster.
Truro is among 96 priority target locations for new indoor courts identified by the LTA across England, Scotland and Wales based on detailed new analysis of potential demand through the country.
The new analysis overlays population data against the locations of existing indoor tennis facilities and is part of a new targeted approach to investment driven by LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd, with a similar exercise also being undertaken for investment in park tennis facilities.
By adding in a catchment area for each current indoor venue covering a 20-minute drive time, the analysis reveals areas where there are opportunities to build new facilities that meet a demand threshold of potential adult players.
The target locations have been prioritised according to the number of potential players in each area, with demographic profiles of the population for each target community used to ensure new facilities are developed in a way that also helps to broaden the participation base of the game.
Commenting on the meeting Sarah said: “The LTA have identified Truro as an area that is lacking in indoor tennis provision, and will be seeking an operational partner to enable them to deliver a large scale, participation changing, sustainable community-focused indoor tennis venue. This is a great opportunity for more local people of all ages living or working in and around Truro to get involved with tennis.
While I won’t be making it onto Centre Court at Wimbledon, with this new investment, I hope other local people will. If anyone is interested in being an operational partner with the LTA, please contact me.”
Scott Lloyd, LTA Chief Executive, said: “More indoor facilities across England, Scotland and Wales are absolutely crucial to our ambition to open up tennis to many more people. When I joined the LTA last year I was determined to make facility investment a priority and use my experience in this area to implement this more targeted approach.
“We are already making progress with several new indoor tennis centres currently going through the planning process in Scotland, and I am looking forward to us working with local authorities and partners in all of our target locations across the whole of Britain.”