A Stirrer Investigation

ANYONE FOR TENNIS?  NOT AROUND HERE

20-02-2008

Ever eager to slip into his posing shorts, Stirrer editor Adrian Goldberg decided to take advantage of the glorious early spring weather and check out the city’s free tennis courts.  Now he’s wishing he hadn’t bothered.

Anyone for tennis?

Not in this neck of the woods.

Not unless you’re very lucky, anyway, as I discovered earlier this week when I decided to dig out my racquet and take advantage of a glorious sunny afternoon.

I remembered that a couple of years ago, Birmingham Council had signed up to an initiative called Tennis For Free, promising to make courts around the city available to everyone who wanted to use them.

“Fantastic” I thought.

“What a great way to encourage fitness.  And who knows, one day we might be able to bask in the reflected glory of seeing the next Tim Henman or Andy Murray learning their craft in a local park.”

If only.  I tried out the six courts listed on the Tennis For Free website (http://www.tennisforfree.com/) and only one of them, at Gilberstone Rec in Yardley, was in decent condition.

The worst, by far, was Queens Park in Harborne, where the court was cracked and potholed, and covered in parts with moss.  There were no nets, and on two of the three courts the posts on which they sit had gone as well.

Cotteridge Park was almost as bad.  One net had gone altogether, while all that survived of the other was the white chord at the top.  Again, the concrete surface was poorly maintained.

At least Brookvale Park in Erdington looked as though it had been resurfaced in the last couple of years, but there were no nets, while Bournville Park had nets on three courts but looked distinctly dodgy underfoot.

Summerfield Park in Winson Green had drawn three enthusiastic players to the courts (hi to Mike, Saqab and Nawaz) but giant cracks had appeared on the surface that would surely have failed any health and safety assessment.

Think that’s bad?  At least Birmingham co-operates with Tennis For Free – but the charity doesn’t have a single court listed in Sandwell.  Nor in Walsall.

There’s just one in Wolverhampton – West Park – although Solihull has six and Dudley, remarkably, seven.  But as we’ve seen in Brum, quantity doesn’t always guarantee quality. 

A Birmingham Council spokeswoman said, “"Both the nets and the posts are prone to vandalism all-year-round and it is likely that this has been the case with these courts.

“We will look into this and also the current condition of the courts to see how these issues can be rectified."

Readers updates on the condition of tennis courts round the West Midlands would be welcome.

Tell us more on The Stirrer Forum.