08 Mar 15% increase in tennis participation in the East of Scotland

Tennis participation numbers in the East of Scotland saw a huge increase in the last 12 months, with the total number of registered club players up to 24,161.

This meant there were just over 3,500 more players on court at the end of 2023 compared to the year before. Of the players registered in the region, over 8,300 were junior players aged under 16, which is an increase of 1,810 from 2022.

Tennis is now one of the leading participation sports in Scotland above such sports as rugby.

The rise comes after sustained efforts from Tennis Scotland and East of Scotland Tennis to drive participation in the game by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable and providing plenty of opportunities for competition.

Viki Mendelssohn, Chair of East of Scotland LTA commented:

“This is a phenomenal set of results for the tennis community in East of Scotland. It shows what the power of having great clubs and supporting infrastructure can achieve.

“What’s particularly encouraging is how many young people are taking up tennis. This is the result of many years of effort from the Participation Officers, Edinburgh Council, clubs and coaches working with youngsters in the region, and we look forward to supporting them as they continue their tennis journey.

“East of Scotland invest heavily in its Juniors and Seniors performance pathways to develop current and future talent, and County teams are then supported to compete successfully across the UK. We continue to strive to be the top County in Scotland and achieve outstanding results on and off the court.”

Players registered in the region are offered the opportunity to take part in coaching, leagues, competitions and events in the region through East of Scotland Tennis.

Juniors and seniors are also provided with a performance pathway for to develop current and future talent, and County teams are then supported to compete successfully across the UK.

Andrew Raitt, Head of Participation at Tennis Scotland, said:

“Tennis Scotland is working hard with all its partners across Scotland to open up our sport to more people and we are delighted to have seen significant growth across the country.

“Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in tennis in Scotland, participation levels among adults and children are soaring and club memberships are the highest on record.

“This is clearly echoed by the growth in the East of Scotland and I want to thank our regional Participation Manager Grant Shearer, all the coaches, development teams, activators, volunteers, officials and the East district for their incredible efforts.”

Participation figures are calculated by adding the number of registered players at each of the 53 affiliated member clubs in the East of Scotland region.