Several prominent British tennis stars have united in a campaign urging the government to increase investment in sports facilities across the country. Leading players including Jack Draper, Katie Boulter, and Alfie Hewett, together with Gordon Reid and Lucy Shuker, have written a letter to the Prime Minister calling for sustained financial support for new tennis, padel, and multi-sport hubs. Their collective voice stresses the importance of accessible sports venues, regardless of background or experience, to boost participation and improve public health outcomes.
The letter specifically requests funding to help establish a network of 40 multi-sport community hubs situated nationwide. The proposal’s primary aim is to ensure that every community—urban or rural—has access to venues where people can “pick up a racket and get active year-round,” as the players put it. This initiative comes on the heels of the successful Park Tennis Project, a joint effort by the UK Government and the LTA Tennis Foundation. That earlier scheme revitalised over 3,000 public tennis courts, introducing tennis to more than 5.6 million adults each year and encouraging 2.6 million to play at least once a month.
Despite the notable progress resulting from the Park Tennis Project, the athletes and campaigners argue that there’s more to be done, especially in deprived areas with high levels of obesity and low activity rates. They contend that a network of covered, multi-sport facilities could have a transformative effect, offering free sessions and targeted programmes to those most in need. They also highlight the chronic shortage of covered tennis courts in Britain, a deficiency that has seen the nation lag behind European counterparts — with Germany and France boasting significantly more indoor tennis infrastructure.
Another major challenge facing British tennis, according to the letter’s signatories, is the country’s unpredictable climate. The UK typically experiences around 150 days of rain each year, compounded by the dark winter months, which severely restricts opportunities for regular, year-round play. The proposal therefore places emphasis on constructing modern, lightweight, all-weather canopies that provide shelter for courts without the prohibitive costs associated with building full-scale indoor centres.
Importantly, the multi-sport hub concept goes beyond providing just tennis facilities. The campaigners envision partnerships with local schools, designed to introduce young people to physical activity and develop their sporting talent. They also propose collaborations with healthcare organisations to explore ‘social prescribing’—whereby GPs and health professionals refer patients to organised sporting activities as a way of improving mental and physical health.
According to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the long-term vision involves establishing at least 40 such community centres by the year 2029. This would not only help drive participation but could also align with government strategies aimed at increasing activity levels amongst the population and generating savings for the NHS by addressing preventable, lifestyle-related health conditions.
From an economic perspective, the estimated total cost of rolling out this ambitious plan is between £75m and £80m. The funding model would involve a blended approach, drawing on contributions from the UK Government, the LTA’s charitable arm, local councils, property developers, and other potential partners. Notably, these funds are envisaged to be spread over several years rather than outlaid all at once.
While the government has already directed resources into the construction of new football pitches across the UK, campaigners highlight that court-based sports such as tennis and padel remain underfunded. By developing these new, adaptable facilities, the initiative seeks to address this disparity and offer greater diversity in community sport options.
The campaign’s leaders believe these centres would not only foster greater sports participation but also help nurture the next generation of British champions. They maintain that with the right infrastructure, every child—regardless of their postcode—should be able to pursue their sporting ambitions, whatever the weather.
As the government reviews its investment priorities for sport and recreation, the tennis community’s appeal highlights a broader commitment to improving health, wellbeing and opportunity through inclusive, accessible activity. With momentum growing, attention now turns to Westminster to see whether policymakers will match the passion and vision demonstrated by these British sporting stars.