Council chiefs were this week accused of a total lack of interest in improving the ”awful” tennis courts across Dundee by the sport’s governing body.
David Marshall, chief executive of Tennis Scotland, the LTA’s governing body in Scotland, says the organisation is frustrated by the council’s lack of interest.
Despite working with with Leisure and Culture Dundee, Dundee Active Schools and Tennis Tayside, Tennis Scotland says the local authority has ignored their calls.
”We’ve been trying to do a lot of work in Dundee as it’s a big area that doesn’t have proper provision,” Mr Marshall said.
”We have visited with the Tennis Scotland Development Team and with our facilities officer and we want to put forward some money for community tennis at Baxter Park, Dawson Park and Fairmuir courts.
”However, Dundee City Council have not put any money into the proposal as yet.
”We identified the facilities are not up to scratch. Our LTA facilities officer visited to see if they would warrant investment and we know there is an interest there.
”We are desperately trying to work with the local authority on this, but it seems they’re not interested.”
Kirsty McRae, Tennis Scotland’s development manager for the Dundee area, said they have been working to promote tennis in both primary and secondary schools.
However, she says the problem lies with the funding decision-makers higher up in the council.
”We’re trying to make tennis as easy as possible to deliver for teachers,” she says. ”Every primary school has received 30 racquets, sponge balls and nets and we also work with Abertay University and Dundee College sports students to deliver coaching to the schools.
”The problem with the courts at Baxter Park is the condition. I just wouldn’t run a competition on them.
”The courts at the Lynch Centre are in an awful condition and there’s even been a fire in the middle of it. You wouldn’t know they were tennis courts except for the fence around them.
”What we are trying to do is get a tennis coach working 15 hours a week with kids at Fairmuir, Dawson Park and Baxter Park as these are the three best public courts in Dundee, but they all need upgrading.
”We’ve put funding into try to create this position and we hope to get a coach in place in August.
”There has been a lot of great work in Dundee and the tennis opportunities have improved dramatically. Sports Development and Active Schools have both been instrumental in this, as well as in training up coaches, teachers and students to deliver more tennis.
”Ultimately, the goal now is to continue to work with them and hopefully get some plans in place to upgrade some of the courts. This has not happened at present but hopefully with their support it will.”
The claims come after Dundee-based MSP Jenny Marra’s release of a video of several of the city’s public tennis courts highlighting the poor condition of the play areas.
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: ”The council will be meeting with the chief executive of Tennis Scotland later this summer to discuss further development of the sport in the city.”