Judy Murray has slammed the closure of tennis courts that have been 'left to decay' in Glasgow.
The tennis coach and mother of world-class players Jamie and Andy said she was 'sad' to see the state of the Victoria Park facilities which have been closed by operator Glasgow Life.
Victoria Park Campus in Whiteinch, which includes bowls, rugby and tennis, was included in the list of venues not yet scheduled for reopening back in May 2021.
The operator said that an 'interest had been expressed in exploring new operating models' for the facility through the People Make Glasgow Communities programme.
However, nearly a year on it still remains closed to the public with Judy describing it as a 'burnt out pavilion' with 'no nets and no lines'.
Taking to social media, she added: "Sad to see the wonderful public facility left to decay. Bring back the "parkies".
She also mentioned how important public courts are to attract people who don't want to join a club and to 'open the game up to new audiences'.
She added: "The pandemic has created a surge in demand for tennis and golf as they were the only sports available".
The Victoria Park Pavillion was significantly damaged by a fire in May 2021 with an assessment deeming the building to be unsafe and earmarked for demolition.
A community takeover bid is currently underway by the Victoria Park Community Trust (VPCT) who have developed an ambitious plan to bring the land back to life with an adventure play park, biodiversity garden, and community orchard all making up part of the proposed projects.
Although tennis courts don't feature in the current plans, the group say none of the projects have been finalised and that further investigations will be undertaken with the community to create a collaborative plan for the best way forward for Victoria Park.
The Victoria Park Community Trust's vision is to 'provide high quality, accessible facilities which are freely available and meet the recreational, leisure, health, educational and environmental needs of the community'.
They say Victoria Park would be managed by a 'collaborative partnership' with the aim of 'protecting the park’s historic and landscape significance, wildlife and biodiversity for the benefit of its local communities and visitors in an inclusive, imaginative, and environmentally friendly manner'.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: “Glasgow delivers one of the best municipal tennis provisions in Scotland. Glasgow Life operates busy and popular outdoor courts in Drumchapel, Kelvingrove, Victoria Park, Knightswood and Queens Park, and has ongoing investment on courts in Garrowhill. Our indoor provision comes in the form of two major tennis centres at Glasgow Club Gorbals and Scotstoun Leisure Centre which has twice hosted the successful Murray Trophy – Glasgow event in partnership with Jamie Murray and the LTA.
“We deliver tennis participation programmes across the city which encourages players of all ages to hone and develop their skills, and work with partners, clubs and governing bodies to focus on increasing participation within demographics we know have least access to the sport. In the last eight years, almost £2.5m has been invested in Glasgow’s tennis facilities, with further significant investment to come over the next year.
“In the wake of the pandemic and the resulting financial impact, Glasgow Life faces the same extremely difficult choices as many other organisations. We are unable to offer the same provision of venues and run the services, events and experiences we are proud of delivering for the people of Glasgow and visitors to the city. Furthermore, in the case of Victoria Park, the fire damage to the pavilion in May last year was devastating and the safest option was for demolition of the facility.
“We know this is disappointing for the tennis community however, unless more funding becomes available we are not able to open any more facilities beyond those which have reopened already. In the meantime, we are continuing to work with Glasgow City Council through its People Make Glasgow Communities initiative to engage and support community groups and organisations that have expressed an interest in playing more of a role in, or taking responsibility for, venues currently managed by Glasgow Life. Should more funding become available, then we will discuss any future reopening plans with the council, local communities and our stakeholders.”
