An integral part of the 2012 London Olympics, the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is a central component of the UK’s Olympic legacy.
Tennis and Wimbledon are incredibly popular in Britain. Andy Murray’s 2013 Wimbledon final was the biggest television event of that year, with 17.3 million British viewers tuning in to watch his victory. Field Hockey is also very popular; in the 2012 London Olympics it was the third most popular event in terms of ticket sales.
No matter how dedicated a sport’s following it is; it needs victories to really capture the public imagination and increase participation. In order to win you need world class training facilities, and that’s the purpose of the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
The Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is located on the site of the former Eton Manor sports centre. Eton Manor Boy’s Club was established by Old Etonians in 1909. Its aim was to use sporting activities to help raise living standards in London’s impoverished East End. By 2012 the area was seen as the ideal place to establish the northernmost venue of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
During the London Games, the site was used as an Olympic and Paralympic aquatic training centre, and hosted the wheelchair tennis event of the Paralympics. The wheelchair tennis court is in fact the first ever custom built wheelchair tennis venue in the history of the Olympics.
Today, Eton Manor has been renamed the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and its legacy continues to grow.
For avid field hockey fans like Fiyaz Mughal, the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre’s extensive facilities are really exciting. The centre features six outdoor and four indoor tennis courts, as well as two hockey pitches, a mountain bike trail and all the necessary support and changing functions. The state-of-the-art clubhouse is also helping foster the community surrounding sport with its bar and social spaces. The centre is open all year round to the public.
By hosting major events like the 2015 EuroHockey Championships and the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, the centre is promoting elite sport even more.
The Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre’s dedication to hosting major events and encouraging new people to play in high quality facilities is helping foster the next generation of elite British sportspeople and further the 2012 Olympic legacy.