Facility at Sardar Patel Sports City has several state-of-the art features; city-based RH Kapadia Academy to manage
Till a few weeks ago, the Gujarat University Tennis Centre at Sardar Patel Sports City was home to piles of garbage and animal and bird carcasses up. That has changed. On Thursday, after years of waiting, GU finally inaugurated the tennis centre.
It has now outsourced the swanky place-spread over a 17,865 square metre area to city-based RH Kapadia Academy for Sports.
The academy will run and manage the facility which has 10 international quality tennis courts of various kinds that were built for Rs 5 crore.
According to officials at the academy, access to the state-of-the-art infrastructure at the Tennis Centre will come at a price.
However, it will be open to all tennis enthusiasts and not just GU students.
They said the GU Tennis Centre is designed to provide world-class facilities offering a comprehensive training environment for aspiring tennis players.
“Key features of the Centre include six synthetic courts with toptier surfaces that are ideal for professional-level training and competition and three clay courts perfect for players looking to master the nuances of traditional clay court tennis. It also has a Centre Court with Pavilion Seating which can accommodate up to 1,800 spectators and is ideal for hosting large-scale tournaments.
The centre also has a fully equipped gym and physiotherapy centre to enhance fitness and aid in recovery, supporting players in their training routines,” officials said.
The infrastructure also includes a conference room and the availability of expert coaches. “The court’s ideal size is 135 feet by 70 feet and 9 out of 10 courts can accommodate four players in an hour’s session. The court in the stadium is mainly for hosting tournaments,” officials said.
“This Tennis Centre reflects our university’s vision of integrating sports with education. It will play a pivotal role in fostering young talent, encouraging athletic development, and nurturing future champions,” said V-C Neerja Gupta.
She said that RH Kapadia academy has been appointed to manage this sports facility as part of an MoU signed with them. Meanwhile, officials at GU said that neither was the tender process followed nor was the proposal discussed in the executive council meeting.