Flagship tennis centre poised to open to students and the public at York St John University

The much anticipated new tennis centre at York St John University’s Haxby Road Sports Campus is now complete and fully equipped, ready to open once restrictions allow. The centre will bring year-round tennis provision to York.   

The £1m project has been jointly funded by York St John and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) the national governing body for tennis in Great Britain (with funding being provided by the LTA Trust). It’s been designed to cater for the University’s growing student body and address the significant gap in indoor tennis facilities in York compared to other similar sized cities. It forms part of the LTA’s facility investment strategy designed to open tennis up to more people all year round.  

 There are three indoor acrylic hard courts which will be accessible 14 hours a day, 48 weeks a year, giving scope for winter and evening play. Three existing outdoor courts have also been retained.   

The centre will be open to students, school groups and the general public with no need for membership. The building is fully accessible for disabled users and there will be disability focused sessions delivered through the LTA’s Open Court initiative.   

York St John's Chief Operating Officer Rob Hickey said: “We’ve been delighted to partner with the LTA to bring this first class facility to York. Alongside our other excellent sporting facilities, we want to promote this facility to students and also plan to hold regional competitions and host Yorkshire County training. It will be a thriving hub for tennis in the heart of Yorkshire.”   

Jon Hughes, LTA Regional Delivery Director, said: "It is great to see this project completed and I’m sure the centre will become a vital outlet for local people to get active through tennis, regardless of age, background or if they have a disability. The LTA’s vision is to open up tennis and its benefits to more people, and this project forms part of our nationwide facility investment strategy which is designed to do just that. This fantastic new facility will provide the opportunity for people to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of our sport all year round.”   

Head of YSJActive, the University’s sports and wellbeing team, Rebecca Scott said: “York is a very active city and it’s great to now have this fantastic centre to support the tennis community all year round. It’s accessible to book by everybody and we look forward to welcoming students, staff and the wider community. We also have an excellent coaching partner in Down the Line Tennis Academy who are able to cater to all abilities. Hopefully it will lead to more people discovering the sport, now they don’t have to brave the cold and wet to do so.”  

Serena Hedley-Dent, Chair of the LTA Trust said: “The Trustees of the LTA Trust are very pleased to see this important project reach completion. We are keen to enable people across the UK to play tennis throughout the year. We work in close partnership with the LTA and Tennis Scotland to support facilities projects of strategic importance around the UK to encourage more people to play. We look forward to seeing the impact of this wonderful new facility on tennis in York and the surrounding area.”  

When lockdown restrictions are lifted, booking for the centre will be available via the YSJActive website https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/health-and-wellbeing/ysjactive/.