Beard set to deliver major improvements to The All England Lawn Tennis Club Community Tennis Centre

27 January 2022

Guildford-based construction firm Beard will be playing its part in supporting the next generation of young tennis players with the development of key improvements at The All England Lawn Tennis Club Community Tennis Centre, at Raynes Park, London.

Under the ownership of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, the facility services an array of requirements. It supports The Championships, Wimbledon, providing a training ground for the contingent of ball boys and girls, and is also home to the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative coaching programme, which is at the forefront of nurturing young talent. The Community Tennis Centre also provides ‘pay and play’ opportunities for the pubic, with more than 5,000 members having signed up so far.

But the site is also in need of improvements in order to accommodate the demand for its courts and training facilities. Beard has been appointed to build a fantastic new clubhouse topped off with a section of green roof, a Café lounge, a flexible studio space and an elevated terrace to view the new main court. The plan also includes creating a new car parking area to service the clubhouse, as well as landscaping work.

Pat Hughes, Beard’s Guildford director, said the project was another opportunity to demonstrate its excellence in the sector, following the construction of training facilities for professional football and rugby clubs in the past 18 months.

He added: “The Community Tennis Centre at Raynes Park provides an opportunity for young players to hone their skills at the early stages of their careers.

“We are thrilled to have been chosen as the contractor to carry out the improvements with the new clubhouse as the centre piece to motivate the next generation of British tennis stars.

“It is a project that plays very much to Beard’s strengths in the sport and leisure sector, where we have had great success in creating inspiring spaces for work and play.

“We look forward to delivering the vision for the clubhouse and facilities and creating facilities that will help nurture the next crop of stars.”

Robert Deatker, Estate Director at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, said: “I am delighted Beard has been successful in our competitive tender for the Raynes Park Clubhouse and Entrance project, they put forward a strong team with experience in delivering modern sporting facilities and a high levels of craftmanship.

“This project is the final phase of our works at our site at Raynes Park and will deliver significant improvements for the local community as well as supporting tennis at every level, from grassroots and community through to professional.”