Tennis court finance: resurfacing, new courts and floodlights

The LTA's 2026 court surfaces guidance puts a repaint or a single new layer of macadam at around £15,000 to £20,000 per court, and a full reconstruction of a porous macadam court at around £50,000 to £60,000 per court. Building or rebuilding with artificial grass is put at £60,000 to £70,000 per court, and artificial clay at £60,000 to £80,000. Real prices move with the specification, access, the condition of the base and how many courts are done together. A club resurfacing three courts and adding LED floodlights could therefore be looking at a project well into six figures, which is where finance tends to come into the conversation.

How long does a tennis court surface last?

The same LTA guidance gives a porous macadam court a typical life of ten to twelve years, with repainting every five years and resurfacing every eight to ten, depending on how well it was built, how well it drains and how heavily it is used. For artificial grass and clay it plans on replacing the carpet after around eight years, and suggests rejuvenating clay infill after five or six. Regular brushing, moss treatment and keeping infill topped up all stretch that life, and a court allowed to go green can need far more than a recoat.

• Survey. A contractor's report on the base, drainage and fencing.
• Quotes. Itemised prices for the surface, lines, nets and any lighting.
• Warranty. What the contractor guarantees and for how long.
• Timing. Works scheduled outside the club's busiest weeks.

The LTA publishes its court surfaces guidance note with costs and maintenance advice. Smaller projects often suit an unsecured business loan, and floodlight upgrades are covered on sports floodlight finance. Instant Quotes gives a club a quick view of panel lenders for court works.

The LTA suggests setting aside about £1,800 per court every year for a porous macadam court, which covers a repaint after five years and resurfacing after eight, and about £2,200 per court for artificial grass. A six court club on macadam would therefore be putting away around £10,800 a year. Those figures are a starting point, and a club with older courts, heavy coaching use or floodlights to replace will need more. Lenders read a healthy court fund as a sign that the committee plans ahead, and the money in it often forms the club's contribution when it does borrow.

Should a club borrow for resurfacing or wait until it has saved enough?

It depends on the condition of the courts and what waiting would cost. Courts that are cracking, holding water or losing members to a better surfaced club nearby can lose income faster than interest builds up, and delay can turn a recoat into a rebuild. In that case borrowing part of the cost and using the fund for the rest is common, with the loan cleared well before the next resurfacing falls due. If the courts are still playable for another season or two, saving the rest avoids interest and keeps borrowing capacity available for a bigger project such as floodlights or a dome. Members should know that payments into the fund carry on while the loan is repaid.

• Fund balance. What the club holds now and adds each year.
• Court condition. How long the contractor thinks the surface will last.
• Repayment. A term that ends before the next resurfacing date.
• Approval. Committee or members' approval under the club's rules.

The LTA court surfaces guidance sets out its sinking fund figures by surface. A club that owns its site may borrow through a secured business loan, and our tennis club finance hub covers members' clubs and CASCs. Instant Quotes lets a committee check which panel lenders work with clubs.

• Resurfacing: cleaning, repairing and recoating or relaying an existing surface
• Rebuilding: replacing the base and surface when the construction underneath has failed
• Changing surface: moving between porous macadam, acrylic hard courts, artificial grass and artificial clay
• New courts: groundworks, drainage, base, surface, fencing, nets and posts
• Floodlights: new installations, or replacing older lamps with LED fittings
• Surrounds: fencing, gates, paths, access control and booking systems

Each surface type has a different cost, playing character, maintenance need and working life, so it is worth getting advice from a specialist contractor and the governing body before choosing.

New courts, higher fencing and floodlights often need planning permission, and floodlight consents commonly come with conditions on hours and light spill near homes. Lenders will usually want consent in place before completing. The Planning Portal explains how the planning process works.

Some clubs convert an underused tennis court into padel courts, which can bring new members and more court hire per square metre. Padel courts can be removed and resold, so they are often easier to fund on asset finance than a tennis surface. See padel court finance.

Repay court finance well within the life of the new surface, or the club risks still paying for one surface when the next one is due. Plan to rebuild the sinking fund alongside the loan repayments. Floodlights add electricity costs as well as playing hours, so include them in the forecast. For commercial operators, personal guarantees are common.

If you are rebuilding or resurfacing courts, it can make sense to plan any cover at the same time, because the foundations, drainage and electrics for a dome or framed structure are easier and cheaper to put in during the court works than afterwards. Lenders will look at the two parts differently: the court surface and groundworks are usually funded with a term loan, while a demountable dome may suit asset finance. Read tennis dome finance for how covered court projects are funded, and see your lender matches with Instant Quotes.