The Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee discussed a variety of upcoming project proposals at its April 26 meeting, including a plan to construct a 12-court outdoor tennis stadium at the Boar’s Head Inn which would “accommodate national champion caliber team play.”
Senior Vice President for Operations Colette Sheehy said at the current stage of planning, the stadium project is estimated to cost around $12 million and will be paid for through private fundraising efforts.
The plan is still in the earlier stages of the approval process and still needs be voted on by the University Board of Visitors and the University Foundation board.
“The Board of Visitors will need to approve this project and because it will be located on University of Virginia Foundation property — UVAF owns and operates Boar’s Head — the foundation board will also approve the project,” Sheehy said in an email statement.
The proposal arose out of concern that the current Snyder tennis courts do not provide adequate stadium seating required to host an entire NCAA tournament.
The Snyder Tennis Center currently offers 13 outdoor courts and seating for 1,000 spectators.
The proposed facilities at the Boar’s Head Inn would offer 12 courts, seating for 3,500 spectators and a clubhouse with a locker room, lounge, meeting room, offices and viewing platform.
“The Snyder Tennis Center is able to host opening round matches of the NCAA tournament and has done so in the past, however, once we get beyond the first round we do not have the facilities or the needed seating to host later rounds or the finals,” Sheehy said. “The new facility would put us in a position to host the finals.”
Another reason for the proposal is a need for more tennis courts in the Charlottesville area and University community, men’s head tennis coach Brian Boland said.
“We have a wonderful facility, but upgrading the courts to become more fan friendly would be helpful,” Boland said in an email statement. “There is also a need for more courts throughout the University and community — tennis is extremely popular.”
Boland also said the strength of the University’s men’s and women’s tennis programs have increased interest in this project.
“The interest in tennis and the strength of the men's and women's programs have created a strong interest in seeing this project move forward,” Boland said. “[Virginia] athletics is interested in providing a better overall experience for the student athletes as well as all students in general.”
Although the new site would be moved off-Grounds, Boland said the athletics administration would find means to transport students to the facility if there is a large amount of student interest in watching the matches.
“The new facility would be an asset not only for U.Va. varsity tennis, but also for the community as we would be able to host regional and national outdoor tennis tournaments and other special events,” Sheehy said.
The University and the Boar’s Head Inn have collaborated on projects in the past and have a preexisting relationship, as the U.Va. Foundation owns the Boar’s Head.
“U.Va. currently partners with the Boar’s Head Sports Club on their indoor tennis courts and on the new squash facility,” Sheehy said. “In the case of tennis, the teams have priority, and when not being used by the varsity teams they are available to sports club members.”
The U.Va. Foundation intends to develop land adjacent to the squash facility and the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The current timeline estimation for the new facilities is six to eight months for facility design and one year for construction.
“We are extremely excited to see tennis continue to grow at U.Va. and in the Charlottesville community,” Boland said. “We just want to play our part.”
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