£10m 'hub' for tennis development

A new sports and leisure complex, which will provide Oxfordshire's first public indoor tennis facilities, will open in Abingdon on March 28.

The £10m White Horse Tennis and Leisure Centre includes six indoor and six outdoor clay tennis courts, plus four artificial grass courts and a tennis Kidszone.

The centre also features a 25m pool, sports hall, squash courts and a health and fitness club.

Designed by architect Roger Lyons, the centre has the support of the British Tennis Federation under its Indoor Tennis Initiative (ITI) programme, and is the 50th ITI in the country. The Sport England Lottery Fund contributed £1.95m to the project, and other funding partners include the ITI, the Oxfordshire Lawn Tennis Association and the South East England Development Agency.

DC Leisure will manage the centre, which has been constructed by Leadbitter Construction.

Vale of White Horse District Council's assistant leisure director, Matt Prosser said: 'This centre will boost all levels of sport development, providing facilities for those starting out in sport, or just wanting to take part at a recreational level, right through to those who want to achieve excellence.'