Friday September 4th 2026
Ground broken on new tennis centre for the Scottish Borders L-R: Craig Burn, Director of Sport for sportscotland; Councillor Euan Jardine, Leader of Scottish Borders Council; Blane Dodds, Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland; Susan Smith, President of Tennis Borders; Sophie Curthoys, Senior Property Investment Manager at LTA; Catriona McAllister, Chief Executive of Live Borders
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A new sporting era is being served up at a South Tyneside school after work was launched on a £3.8m tennis centre.
A ground-breaking ceremony took place this week on the three-court tennis complex at the new Galashiels Academy.
The community facility, due to open early next year, will provide the first covered courts in the region.
The project received just over £1.5 million from the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis (TSIT) Fund, alongside a £2.3 million investment from Scottish Borders Council – the majority of which funded the changing facilities delivered as part of the school project.
Featuring smart-access control and LED floodlights, three artificial clay tennis courts under a canopy will provide a further addition to an exceptional sports provision at Galashiels Academy, which already features an impressive 25m, six-lane swimming pool, gym facilities and is due to include 2G and 3G multi-purpose pitches.
The new courts will enhance an already thriving tennis community in the Scottish Borders, where there are 12 registered clubs and more than 1500 playing members.
With a firm focus on growing participation among all ages and abilities and accessibility, the courts are certain to provide an all-year round base from which the sport will continue to grow.
Stakeholders and officials from the LTA, sportscotland, Tennis Scotland, Scottish Borders Council and Live Borders visited the site this week to see the progress and discuss plans to make the most of the venue when it’s ready.
As well as the tennis centre, the new facility will also feature two canopy-covered padel courts, providing a further boost for the fast-growing sport in the Scottish Borders.
Director of Sport for sportscotland, Craig Burn, said: “It’s hugely encouraging to see the progress being made on the tennis centre at Galashiels Academy. This facility will be a huge asset to the communities in the Scottish Borders for years to come and provide the thriving tennis community in the area with year-round access to the sport.”
LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd said: “The start of construction at Galashiels Academy marks an exciting milestone for tennis in the Scottish Borders. This facility will transform opportunities for local communities to play tennis throughout the year.
“We are delighted to be working with our partners to deliver this investment, which will help grow participation, improve accessibility and ensure more people can enjoy tennis and padel locally for years to come.”
Blane Dodds, Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland, said: “Today marks a significant milestone in the development of tennis and padel in the Scottish Borders and I’m delighted that more people in the local community will soon have year-round access to our sports and the clear health and wellbeing benefits they provide.
“Tennis and padel are both flourishing in Scotland with more people playing than ever before, so investment in outstanding new facilities like this is vital to meeting that demand. I am sure this new facility will be very popular locally, and also play a part in the development of the sports nationally.
“Thank you to all our partners for their support and help in delivering yet another indoor centre and ensuring tennis and padel continue to grow.”
Leader of Scottish Borders Council, Councillor Euan Jardine, said: “It is tremendous that just a month on from the funding being approved we’re able to start work to deliver this fantastic facility alongside the development of the outdoor sport facilities at Galashiels Academy.
“This is a long sought after facility within the local tennis community and it will provide so many opportunities for people of all ages to take up a racket and get active all-year-round. It will also provide the facilities to support our rising stars to train and play locally in perfect conditions.”
Catriona McAllister, Chief Executive of Live Borders, said: “We are delighted to be operating this exciting new tennis and padel centre at Galashiels Academy on behalf of Scottish Borders Council. This significant investment gives us a fantastic opportunity to build on the strong tennis community that already exists across the Scottish Borders while introducing even more people to the benefits of tennis and padel.
“Providing high-quality, accessible opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to be active is at the heart of what we do. We look forward to working with our partners to ensure these facilities become a welcoming community hub, supporting participation, wellbeing and player development for many years to come.”
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