Chichester tennis players delighted to see their sport back on city courts

Chichester Racquets and Fitness Club took government advice on board and set about putting procedures in place to ensure they made the facility as safe as possible for both members, guests and staff.

The club also worked closely with Chichester District Council to enable the public courts to open. Play returned at the club last Wednesday with the public courts opening a day later, to the delight of many.

The club have temporarily introduced a pay-as-you-play system for existing members while all membership subscriptions are frozen. As a result, the club have welcomed back more than 100 members to the courts since they partially opened last Wednesday and the public courts have seen more than 50 hours of tennis in 5 days.

CRAFC manager Jack Lerwill said: ‘It is fantastic to see the courts being used again. Obviously, this is tough financial time for many sports clubs but hopefully this can be the first step back for tennis.

"The safety procedures we have put in place are being followed and there have been some lovely comments from both members and non-members about how much they are enjoying playing tennis again."

The public courts are located immediately next to CRAFC and adjacent to the Northgate car park. CRAFC manages the courts on behalf of CDC so to book a court please call 01243 785664.

Please note that bookings are currently available three days in advance.

Further information is available at www.chichester.gov.uk and for those looking to play tennis, it is worth reading the player guidelines set out by the LTA to make sure you play as safely as possible - see them here