![\"Greville](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0_TCBR040826TennisBRI_02jpeg.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCouncil chiefs have tried to reassure the club but a consultation on future management is happening soon<\/p>\n
06:00, 06 Aug 2026Updated 09:46, 06 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
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Greville Smyth Tennis Club, based in Greville Smyth Park in Ashton Gate, Bristol(Image: Greville Smyth Tennis Club)<\/p>\n
Council chiefs have tried to reassure hundreds of members of a popular tennis club in South Bristol that they are not about to take over their courts and hand them over to a private operator.<\/p>\n
But those running the tennis club said they fear a new council consultation on the future of the courts in the park in Ashton Gate could see the end of their club.<\/p>\n
The Greville Smyth Tennis Club has almost 500 members – joining is easy for anyone who wants to play tennis on the courts next to the bowls club in popular park near Ashton Gate Stadium.<\/p>\n
People can join up for three, six or 12 months and from there, playing is free, with leagues, tournaments, social events and coaching available.<\/p>\n
But the council owns the courts and the lease with the club has run out. Instead of renewing it, Bristol City Council<\/a> is going to start a formal consultation on the future of the courts, and who should run them.<\/p>\n The council owns eight sets of tennis courts in parks around the city and in the past few years five of them have been transferred to the West of England Sports Trust – Wesport – which takes over the courts, brings them up to a better standard if they need it, and then opens them up to anyone with online booking systems and a pay-to-play method.<\/p>\n That has happened at courts in parks in St George, Eastville, Canford, Dingle Park in Sea Mills and Redcatch Park in Knowle<\/a>. That has been controversial in some of those places, especially where the courts were just open and free to use before, and the Wesport ‘Park Tennis’ model meant people had to start booking and paying.<\/p>\n At Redcatch Park in Knowle there was a huge row <\/a>between those who wanted the tennis courts to remain being open and maintained by the local park charity volunteers, and those who wanted Wesport to take over and refurbish and maintain them.<\/p>\n At Greville Smyth Park in Ashton, tennis club chair James Mikkelson said the club is committed to supporting the LTA’s vision of making tennis more accessible and inclusive, and added that he believes the current community-led model is already delivering those goals successfully. He said he sees no justification for a different model.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this happens, the courts will be taken over, likely by Wesport, who run several other tennis courts within parks around Bristol,\u201d he told members.<\/p>\n \u201cWesport have done a good job taking over dilapidated, under-utilised courts that don\u2019t have active clubs. The story is different at Greville Smyth TC.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a self-managed, self-funded community club with almost 500 members, with a long legacy and deep roots in the local community. We don\u2019t believe it\u2019s the right move. And we\u2019re gearing up to fight,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cIn recent years, Greville Smyth TC\u2019s engagement with the local community, and broader Bristol tennis community, has grown.<\/p>\n Greville Smyth Tennis Club, based in Greville Smyth Park in Ashton Gate, Bristol(Image: Greville Smyth Tennis Club)<\/p>\n \u201cThrough social sessions on and off the court, free walking tennis, new teams in the Avon Tennis league and more, we\u2019ve been working hard to make Greville Smyth an inclusive space to make friends and enjoy tennis.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019re just getting started; with future plans for Floodlight, toilet facilities, PAYG court bookings, and to expand our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) tennis sessions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Club member Scott Canning said the council has engaged with the tennis club, but believes the communication has been inconsistent and that greater transparency would help build confidence in the process.<\/p>\n He said Greville Smyth TC was one of the largest tennis clubs in South Bristol, and was much more than a \u2018booking-only, transactional tennis\u2019 model could provide.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a community social hub,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe club provides opportunities for people to meet new players, build friendships and take part in regular social activities. Replacing the club with a booking-only model risks losing the community spirit that has been built over many years.<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond transactional tennis bookings the club offers far more than court access, including walking tennis, social tennis sessions, competitions, coaching and community events for players of all ages and abilities,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n![\"Greville](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0_TCBR040826TennisBRIjpeg.jpg\")
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