Tennis players in Wrenhaven will be able to play through the winter for the first time after four indoor courts opened at Kestrel Park this week. The new building, a steel-framed hall with a translucent roof, sits beside the park's existing outdoor courts and was paid for with a mix of council money, a sports foundation grant and donations from the Kestrel Park Tennis Club.
The project cost €2.6 million and took 14 months to build. The courts have a cushioned acrylic surface, LED lighting and a small viewing gallery, along with changing rooms that can also be used by people visiting the park. Until now the nearest indoor tennis courts were in Ostbridge, about 40 minutes away by car.
Free sessions and coaching
Under the agreement with the council, around a third of court time each week is set aside for free sessions, including after-school coaching for children, wheelchair tennis on Sunday mornings and walking tennis for older players. The rest can be booked at a lower rate for residents than for visitors from outside the city.
For years we lost half our juniors every October because there was nowhere to play. Now they can keep going all year.
That was the view of head coach Priya Venkatesan, who runs the club's junior programme. She said the club had a waiting list of more than 80 children for coaching places, and the indoor courts would allow it to add four new groups immediately.
Councillor Bridget Ollerton, who chairs the council's leisure committee, said the courts were part of a wider plan to improve sports facilities in the city's parks. "We want people to be able to stay active through the winter, not just when the sun is out," she said.
The courts were opened on Saturday with an exhibition match between two of the club's junior players and a free open day that drew several hundred visitors. Bookings can be made through the council's leisure booking service, and the free sessions are open to anyone without the need to join the club.