The row over the proposed Andy Murray legacy tennis centre in Dunblane is as unedifying as it is potentially damaging to the name of a man regarded by many as Scotland’s greatest ever sports star.
Legacy is usually defined as the long-lasting impact an individual, in this case Murray and his glittering top career, has had and the imprint it leaves on others.
There’s little doubt that his influence on tennis in Scotland and indeed elsewhere has been enormous.
For a rain-swept small country like Scotland to produce one of the all-time tennis greats is in itself a tremendous achievement, and it’s perfectly correct that his contribution to the sport should be somehow recognised in his hometown and country.
Whether that recognition required the now shelved plans to build a £20 million sports centre in his hometown of Dunblane is another proposition entirely.
Judy Murray – a force of nature with an indomitable sense of purpose and drive – has now abandoned the plans initially inspired by the achievements of sons Andy and Jamie, who have enhanced Scotland’s sporting reputation on the world stage.
‘Locals unconvinced of benefits’
Legacy is one of the most intriguing words in the sporting lexicon.
I covered the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Manchester for BBC, and both were tremendous sporting occasions.
However, the effect of any supposed legacy left by both events in both cities is debatable.
Have the citizens of both seen any major benefits to their daily lives?
It seems not enough folk either in Dunblane, Stirling Council, or the planning authorities were convinced the benefits of the proposed centre outweighed the loss of the green belt on Park of Keir.
Alongside plans for tennis, a golf centre, hotel and housing development were also planned.
That may have led some folk to conclude, rightly or wrongly, that the project was equally about making money from richly cherished land through the accompanying housing development.
‘Spread the legacy’
Mark Ruskell, Scottish Green MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, railed against the plans.
He pointed out there is already a national tennis centre just a few miles away at Stirling University and tennis facilities already exist in Dunblane.
Mr Ruskell also suggested any legacy from Murray’s stellar career would be better spread out to communities in Scotland that don’t have tennis courts and facilities.
I’m all in favour of better and increased sports facilities for all ages.
It’s good for physical and mental health and is an all-round benefit, the value of which can’t simply be quantified in money terms.
However, to replicate already existing tennis facilities in a small town – facilities that don’t exist at all in some other areas – was always going to be a hard sell.
It’s all the more difficult to persuade locals of the sense of the venture when it looks like the only way to make it viable is with the speculative money-making elements of housing attached to the plans.
It’s natural in this situation that the question will be asked is this really about creating a legacy or simply a dressed-up business venture?
Ideal location in Perthshire?
There’s no good reason why we can’t re-name a tennis facility the Sir Andy Murray Centre and indeed some opponents of the venture have suggested the recently closed Kilgraston School near Bridge of Earn might be an ideal location.
It has ample room for boarders and surplus land for facilities.
And in truth I actually wonder about our realistic prospects of ever producing another Murray given our climate and the lack of numbers playing the sport.
Tennis is more popular in Scotland than folk think but not overwhelmingly so.
Murray himself moved to Barcelona as a 15-year-old to pursue his ambitions in a country much more conducive to achieving his aims where training and development could be conducted in a warm climate ideal for tennis.
In many respects I suspect he may be a one off, a unique individual who by force of nature and personality had the drive to succeed.
I don’t think we necessarily need a legacy centre at the cost of £20 million to try to produce another Andy Murray; there are probably better ways to invest in the sport to encourage those who might one day follow in his giant footsteps.
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