Image: Tennis at Dollar Park

Falkirk Council and the LTA have today (Wednesday 29 March) announced a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts in Falkirk and Grangemouth.

Two venues (Dollar Park in Falkirk and Zetland Park in Grangemouth) will be improved, with an investment of £32,569.36 helping ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community. 

Alongside the investment, Falkirk Council’s Sport and Leisure team will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activities across the park sites. This will include weekly tennis coaching sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience, and opportunities to participate for free with equipment being supplied and in various competitions throughout the year. 

Work to be completed by end of April

Work on sites is anticipated to start this week and will be completed by April 2023 – this will see court surfaces cleaned and treated and in Dollar Park, fencing improvements will also occur.

The project is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA to refurbish public tennis courts across Great Britain, and will open the sport to many more people.

This investment will see thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.

Councillor Laura Murtagh, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for Education and Leisure said: “Park tennis courts are vital in providing opportunities for children and adults to get active, delivering significant physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits to participants.

Critical to increasing participation

“Accessible facilities in parks are particularly critical to increasing participation in the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming both new players and old alike once they are fully opened when work is completed.”

Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Falkirk Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active.

“This investment is part of the UK Government and LTA’s Parks Tennis Project and will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come.

“We will also be working closely with Falkirk Council to ensure that the local community have a range of accessible opportunities to get on court and open up our sport to many more people.”

Bookings can be made for both Zetland Park and Dollar Park online using the Clubspark LTA website.