Tervuren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Blue Lions in Tervuren, in the province of Flemish Brabant, now has its new sports fields available for use. The sports club in Tervuren offers both hockey and tennis and other sports activities. Although the club offers many options, the three padel courts operate indoors.
Blue Lions Tervuren sports club finished its €2.8 million upgrades by adding a tennis hall tennis facility plus three padel courts alongside bigger hockey grounds. At the Defense-owned Polygoon site in Duisburg, the club addressed a higher membership demand of 1500 members by renovating their facilities. The project will start serving the whole year’s tennis needs and welcome padel users when it officially launches on April 1.
The Tervuren municipality supported the project by loaning €2.8 million to let the club revamp an outdated Defense site into a contemporary sports and leisure park.
The club has almost 1,500 members and therefore needed more space.
We have been working towards this for years,
says chairman Stijn Verschuuren.
Now there are both indoor and outdoor tennis courts so that we can play tennis all year round. In addition, the hockey fields have been expanded, and we are also adding a new sport, with 3 indoor padel courts. Finally, this summer, there will be a clubhouse that will connect the 3 sports.
The new clubhouse to unite all three sports spaces should be ready by summer 2019. Mayor Thomas Geyns emphasised the project’s role in enhancing local sports infrastructure, calling the padel courts “a pearl” within a green recreational zone near the park.
It is a great addition to our sports offer,
says mMayorThomas Geyns (Voor Tervuren).
Tervuren has a sports hall in every sub-municipality. Now we also have a green recreational zone on the edge of the park, with the new padel courts as a pearl.
What historical and regional factors shaped the Blue Lions’ expansion?
For many years, Belgium’s Defense Ministry left the Polygoon site in Duisburg unused because of outdated facilities. The Municipality of Tervuren required every sub-municipality to build a sports hall and provided its land for lease to the Blue Lions Club, which had outgrown its facilities. The municipality borrowed money to fund €2.8 million in updates that turned the site into a modern sports complex. The club grew larger over time because its 1,500 members outpaced the available facilities it had in the past.
Across Europe, padel sports have grown 40% since 2020, making standard padel courts part of the project. Mayor Thomas Geyns noted Tervuren’s focus on “green recreational zones,” with the Polygoon project enhancing access to year-round sports. A new clubhouse combining all sports facilities will open during summer to bring hockey, padel, and tennis under one roof. The public can start booking tennis courts on April 1 while the rental fees help pay off the loan. Defence controls the site to maintain its community use under municipal management.
