Peterborough Tennis
A New Beginning for Community Amateur Sports Club
The challenge
To transform existing tennis facilities and provide more courts to keep up with demand from the local community
.
The solution
To upgrade outdoor courts and install a modern framed-fabric structure housing two indoor courts enabling members to play tennis all year-round whatever the weather.
Key facts
- Impervious acrylic surfacing indoors
- Porous Macadam surfacing outdoors
- Retractable sides
- All-weather protection
- Heavy-duty PVC coated polyester
- LTA approved
Project overview
The City of Peterborough Tennis Club invested almost half a million pounds in improving their outdoor tennis courts and on an indoor tennis court construction project which would be robust enough to offer protection in the winter and withstand any potential antisocial behaviour.
The new dome was purpose built with elegant tennis court covers that allow in natural light as well as retractable sides, which allow ventilation and create a comfortable playing environment to defy the elements outside.
The club opted for impervious acrylic surfacing which is the chosen surface for many major championships including the US Open but suitable for players of all abilities.
The tennis club also chose to have their three existing outdoor courts resurfaced with Porous Macadam surfacing. This type of surface can prevent flooding after rainfall, meaning there will be fewer to no puddles, which had stopped play in the past. Copri Systems also installed floodlights on the club’s outdoor courts, which are similar to those used at Wimbledon.
The club’s new tennis court installation will ensure that potential playing time is no longer limited by shorter days in the winter and the unpredictable nature of our weather.
An investment for every generation
These developments have allowed the club to employ five excellent new full-time coaches who run sessions for adults and tennis lessons for children throughout the year. The indoor courts are perfect for children as they can use lighter weight tennis balls, which would otherwise be affected by the wind.
Bill Skeed from Peterborough TC has received excellent feedback from members, commenting that everyone gets “a much better experience using the indoor facilities”.
The new courts and covers have made tennis more accessible to a broader audience to play, be it for fitness purposes, social or to train competitively. Membership numbers shot up from 25 to 450 almost overnight and that figure is continuing to soar each day. With help from the LTA’s Transforming British Tennis Together initiative, the club now hopes to build two more domes and introduce even more people to the sport.
