Complaints mount as transformed tennis courts ‘used by grown men’ for football

Complaints have been made about “grown men” turning up at recently transformed tennis courts in Johnstone and playing football.

The facility at Park Road is one of three – including Brodie Park in Paisley and Robertson Park in Renfrew – to benefit from a major investment in the racket sport in Renfrewshire. As part of the venture from the LTA Tennis Foundation and UK Government, delivered by the Lawn Tennis Association, more than £300,000 was spent on renovation works at the different locations.

But elected members are now concerned budding tennis players could be kept off the courts by adults who have adopted the space as a football pitch. Councillor Iain McMillan, Labour group leader and representative for Johnstone South and Elderslie, raised the issue at a meeting of the infrastructure, land and environment policy board.

He said: “I have had several complaints from people who live roundabout that area that people are getting in and actually playing football on the tennis courts, which I don’t think is the right thing to do. I got a message from the wardens service to say that grown men were playing in the tennis courts, so it’s not your usual 12 and 13-year-old boys chancing their arm. Grown men are turning up in their cars and playing football on the tennis courts.

“We don’t want to encourage that. It’s really good that local people are taking the time and effort to let councillors know so that they can pass that on.”

Councillor Eddie Devine, who represents Paisley Southeast, recalled similar conduct had been an issue at the Brodie Park courts in the past. He said: “When Councillor McMillan was saying about people playing football, it brought back memories of two or three years ago, maybe more, when the same thing happened in Brodie Park. We had people who were actually locking tennis players out to play football and then we had people coming with their dogs, locking the door and exercising their dogs.”

Councillor Michelle Campbell, board convener and SNP representative for Erskine and Inchinnan, said the behaviour was “unacceptable”. She said: “The thing is that in our communities unfortunately there are individuals who will put their own selfishness ahead of that of everyone else in the community. There’s plenty of football provision options across all wards or next to, if it’s not right in.

“It’s good to hear that there’s a cross-consensus of everyone that where there are individuals who think they can just come in, they see a new space and they’re going to make it their own, that’s unacceptable. It’s antisocial behaviour and if it does broach the point of being incredibly antisocial, not just a one-off, I would advise that members contact the wardens teams about it because that may need to be addressed further.”

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