TENNIS ace Andy Murray has backed a bid for a new national sports centre near his home town.
The British number one and his older brother Jamie are supporting a campaign by the University of Stirling and Stirling Council for the city to host Scotland's National Performance Centre for Sport.
The brothers, who grew up in nearby Dunblane, have both trained at the univer-sity's national tennis centre.
In a joint statement, they said: "As a high-profile international sport, tennis is very important in the sports mix in Scotland. We must have better facilities and resources to encourage and coach more young people to play and identify and develop those with the potential to compete on the world stage.
"A national performance centre, where the best tennis players mix with the best in other sports, is a big step forward for Scotland, and Stirling has unequalled credentials."
Stirling is competing with rival bids from Dundee and Edinburgh to host the planned sport centre.
Professor Gerry McCormac, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Stirling, said: "As young boys Jamie and Andy Murray honed their tennis skills here at Stirling and are now world-class players."
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is due to announce the winning bid in early September.
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