Harrogate Spa Tennis Club has unveiled brand-new facilities that it says bring it a major step closer to achieving its aim of becoming a centre of excellence for sport.
The club already had six tennis courts, but now has a larger pavilion with shop, Break Point café, bar and terrace overlooking the tennis courts, full LED floodlighting, improved parking, and two new padel courts. Padel is a sport similar to tennis but played with a solid, stringless racquet, in an enclosed court like squash.
The new padel courts are already attracting players from across the region.
Jacqui Collyns, who took over as centre manager in February, said:
“There’s nowhere like this within a 100-mile radius – Harrogate seems to be becoming the North’s padel capital. We’ve only been open for three weeks and we’ve already got ‘repeat customers’ coming from as far afield as Leeds and Pontefract.
“This is a real ‘wow’ space. But it’s not just about tennis and padel – we’ve got plans to expand it for other uses too. This is very much phase one. It’s all part of a 10-year plan to turn this club into a centre of excellence for sport.”
Run as a charity by volunteers, Harrogate Spa Tennis Club is understood to have paid a seven-figure sum for the nine-month programme of improvements through donations, fundraising and a small loan from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
The club has a strong sense of community, and provides junior tennis coaching to year groups at Harrogate High School (pictured on the horizon).
Jacqui said:
“A special mention should go to the volunteers and trustees. They’ve really made this happen, and have just given and given and given. They’ve never had a salary. They really are remarkable people who just want to give something back, and you don’t often get that these days.”
The club, which is located off the end of Claro Road, offers tennis and padel on a pre-booked pay-and-play basis, and professional tennis coaching is also available. It also provides free coaching to year groups from Harrogate High School, holds weekly tennis fun sessions for children with learning disabilities, and all its facilities are wheelchair-accessible.
Jacqui said:
“This club is all about community. It was founded 76 years ago as a club for everybody, and that’s what it still is. Membership costs just £20 a month, and you can bring the kids along too. It’s incredible.”
Read more:
- New £70,000 tennis courts open in Dacre with free taster sessions
- Ripon Tennis Centre opens new £180,000 padel tennis courts
- Harrogate’s Rossett School could swap three tennis courts for 3G pitch