A brand new facility including a tennis centre, padel courts, café, and community space is coming to one of the biggest and most popular parks in the Welsh capital. Cardiff council has confirmed that it has now secured funding to "transform" the community sports facilities in Llandaff Fields in Cardiff.
Plans include a new Padel Tennis centre, a new café and a community space, the resurfacing of the tennis courts, the development of a community tennis facility for all ages and abilities, the installation of cricket practice nets and, subject to funding, a new permanent clubhouse for Llandaff Cricket Club.
Cardiff council said it was in the process of drawing up lease arrangements with the cricket club, Tennis Wales, and Padeltastic Ltd following an ‘expressions of interest' exercise aimed at securing investment in the existing facilities, bringing new recreational and sporting opportunities to the area, and helping to unlock new funding opportunities.
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The redundant bowls pavilion and bowling green will be converted into a covered Padel Tennis centre and café while the existing tennis courts will be refurbished and there will be online court bookings to make it easier for people to book a slot. Padel Tennis – one of the fastest-growing sports in the country – is a combination of squash and tennis, played on enclosed courts with no overarm serves. The council also wants to install cricket practice nets and demolish the existing changing rooms and garages to provide space for the creation of a temporary clubhouse and changing facilities for Llandaff Cricket Club with a view to a permanent clubhouse being built in the future.
The secretary for the cricket club, Adnan Haddadi, said the new facilities were "much-needed" and they had been "crying out" for them for many years. He added: "Over the past 12 months the club has been working closely with Cardiff council to create a clear plan on how we can achieve this. The cabins will provide secure storage for our equipment as well as changing rooms, showers, and toilets. This will be a temporary solution while the club continues to work hard on a long-term pavilion."
The outline plans, which will be subject to the necessary planning permission being granted, also include the introduction of a community tennis coaching programme and calendar of fun recreational competitions for local people as well as free teacher training to local schools, equipment and coaching grants, and regular sessions for disabled players through the LTA Youth Schools and LTA Open Court funded programmes in the city.
Cabinet member for culture, parks, and events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, called the plans "exciting" and said they "deliver substantial investment in the area's community sports facilities". Simon Johnson, CEO of Tennis Wales, said: "We're really pleased to see the transformation of tennis and Padel in Llandaff taking place during 2023. Tennis participation in Wales continues to rise and ensuring we have accessible and well-maintained facilities for people to enjoy is very much part of our tennis opened up strategy. Over 160,000 people in Wales picked up a racket last year and we look forward to seeing even more people enjoying public park tennis and Padel courts this year."
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