While the success and growth in all areas of participation has been fantastic since North Oakleigh Tennis Club merged with Oakleigh Tennis Club, and we moved into Caloola Reserve at the start of 2019, the committee is well aware that it has become increasingly difficult for everyone to gain access our courts, due to all the competing usages (competition teams, social groups, VTA coaching, schools and other groups, and casual hire by members and non-members).

The club has been hiring outside courts for our Sunday social tennis group whenever needed, as our junior tennis match court requirements increase every season. 

The committee has put a lot of thought and work into finding a permanent, local solution to this problem, culminating in the submission (on August 12) of a proposal to Federal, State and Local Governments, Tennis Australia and Tennis Victoria for the construction of 8 new tennis courts on the long-unused public space at Hurst Reserve, on the corner of Princes Highway (Dandenong Road) and Ferntree Gully Road in Oakleigh East.   The proposed layout is shown in the image on this page, and includes 8 courts, a clubhouse, easy access from all directions, ample parking and even space for a  playground.

The proposal is titled "PROJECT 150", as we believe this project can and should be delivered by 2029, when Oakleigh Tennis Club will be celebrating its 150th anniversary.

CLICK HERE to download the PDF of the full proposal.

The email which accompanied the proposal included the following information:

Oakleigh Tennis Club’s outstanding promotion of tennis in the western side of the Monash Local Government Area since relocating to Caloola Reserve in 2019 has resulted unprecedented and ever-increasing community usage of our facilities, as our 2023-24 statistics attest:

MEMBERSHIPS:                     

• 672 in 2023-24 - compared with 116 in 2018-19 - a 579% increase in just 5 years!

COURT BOOKINGS:   

• 17,423 court bookings in 2023-24.
• 956 different players booked courts (both members and non-members).
• 35,296 court hours were booked.
• 78% of total court capacity was booked (our courts are open 7:00am-11:00pm, 365 days per year)

Clearly, more courts are desperately needed in this area to keep up with current and future demand, with the club now regularly needing to hire outside courts to satisfy usage requirements, especially on week-ends.

As the club looks forward to its 150th anniversary in 2029, and in assessing the growing community’s need to access tennis courts in the future, we take this opportunity to share our plan to add more courts in the western Monash region with you all, in the attached document “Oakleigh Tennis Club – PROJECT 150”, which includes:

• A brief history of Oakleigh Tennis Club.
• Oakleigh Tennis Club’s current (healthy) position.
• The extremely high rates of tennis participation that have been fostered at Oakleigh Tennis Club, especially since moving to the Caloola Reserve facility in 2019.
• How more courts are desperately needed if we are to keep up with current and future demand.
• Population forecasts for the Monash Local Government Area (2021-2041).
• Tennis club and tennis court distribution within the Monash Local Government Area.
• Proof that the western side of the Monash LGA has only 25% of the courts needed to meet Tennis Australia’s benchmark of 1 court per 2000 people, whereas the eastern side of the Monash LGA is already at 227% of Tennis Australia’s benchmark.
• The identification of an ideal location which will easily accommodate 8 new tennis courts, a clubhouse, ample parking and even a large playground, on land that has been unused (or at best severely underutilised) for decades - at Hurst Reserve, Oakleigh.

We have already had positive feedback from Craig Tiley (CEO of Tennis Australia), who said he "absolutely will support" this project, and Dr. Josh Fergeus (Monash Councillor for Oakleigh Ward).

We will keep members updated with further reaction to, and (hopefully) the development of this proposal.