The 'huge' £5m boost to Judy Murray's flagship tennis centre project

A new flagship tennis and sports centre near Dunblane run by Judy Murray is to be given a £5 million boost by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

The LTA said it would provide the funding for the centre at Park of Keir, which it is hoped will become a centre of excellence for tennis competitions in Scotland.

The project, led by former Scottish national coach Ms Murray, will offer a multi-sport site including outdoor tennis courts, outdoor padel courts, indoor tennis courts, pickleball courts, a multi-sport hall, multi-use games area, gym and cafe.

The venue will become a home for competition and player training alongside the coaching programme run by the mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray to encourage greater participation in sport and build a workforce of community coaches.

The building will also recognise the achievements of the Murray family, who are from Dunblane, and their contribution to tennis in Scotland.

Earlier this month, Andy Murray played what is widely expected to be his final match at Wimbledon, when he competed in the men’s doubles with his brother, having had to pull out of the singles competition due to an operation he had had on his back just days earlier.

After the match, Ms Murray said her son had refused offers to lend his name to tennis academies around the world, saying he wanted to coach youngsters in Scotland.

She said: “We have had offers from other countries to open an Andy Murray tennis academy. But for us it will always be about Scotland and our backyard. We want to give back to the game that has given us all so much.

“None of us have ever wavered from the position that we want to do this in our home country.”

The funding commitment comes after the recent announcement of the biggest-ever investment in performance tennis in Scotland, which will fund the new Scottish National Player Pathway, the opening of new indoor tennis centres in Edinburgh and Moray and the continuing work to refurbish 175 tennis courts in Scottish parks.

Scott Lloyd, chief executive of the LTA, said: “Judy and her family have made an enormous contribution to tennis in Scotland and across Britain. We’re proud to be supporting this project, which will deliver both a tennis centre of national significance for Scotland, but also an important community facility for the people of Scotland.

“As Andy reaches the final stages of his playing career, there are many ways in which British tennis will recognise his achievements and that of his family. But we believe this project will deliver a landmark facility for Dunblane and Scotland that will benefit, as part of Andy’s legacy, generations to come.”

Ms Murray said: “I’m delighted that the LTA has committed £5m of funding and support to the centre at Dunblane. This is a huge investment in Scottish tennis and community sport.

“I’ve been working closely with Scott Lloyd and the LTA over several years to bring the plans to fruition and we will continue to work in partnership to deliver a legacy for Scotland. We're now hopeful that our other partners will commit their support to this important and exciting project, and to invest in other community tennis facilities across the UK."

The funding is agreed subject to the centre receiving all the necessary planning approvals from the local authority later this year.