Welcome back to tennis for the year to our members and competition members. We also welcome new members to our tennis community and hope you are participating in social tennis, competitions, receiving tennis coaching and/or enjoying the game with friends and family at the centre.
Notices
Sunday Tennis - At the last committee meeting it was decided to open the courts on Sundays from 9am to 1pm all year rather than adjusting times after the end of daylight saving. However, Anzac Day this year falls on a Sunday so
the courts will be closed all day.
Nepean Tournament - A juniors tournament hosted by Nepean will be using the courts at Springwood on Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday. There will be 2 courts available for Saturday Afternoon Social Tennis.
Club Kitchen - The kitchen is now open to players and social groups.
Focus Group - Tuesday Mixed Social Tennis
Springwood Tennis Club has four social groups of tennis players. The Tuesday Mixed Social meets on Tuesday morning and on average 16 to 20 players attend on a regular basis. They are a welcoming group who enjoy a relaxed
game of tennis, a cuppa and a good yarn. It has been said that tennis can be played for much of your life. One gentleman in his late eighties enjoys the game and still has a good eye for the ball. He's a marvel!! If this suits you, come along on Tuesday and enjoy playing tennis with
this group.
Pam Clarke (Secretary)
Club Pro Report
In January, Springwood World of Tennis had a tennis clinic for the first time in a year due to COVID. There were 60 children participating - the most for that time of year! Throughout the week the kids learned all the shots in the game
and applied these skills to their tournament play later in the week. This school holidays there is a tennis clinic - Monday 12th April to Friday 16th April - 9am to 3pm.
During January, Nepean Tennis used the Springwood Tennis Centre courts for their tournament. This tournament hosted some of the best junior players in NSW. There were a number of players from Springwood World of Tennis playing in tournaments across the state. These were the first tournaments for nine months due to COVID. Joshua Busa made the final of the 14 boys doubles at Ballina. In Parkes, Ashton McLeod won the 14 boys singles and doubles and Harry Podesta won the 14 boys consolation singles and runner up 14 boys doubles. The beginning of February saw the club competitions restart and the high schools returning for their weekly sporting activities. In March, a number of junior players from Springwood travelled to Canberra to play a tournament held at the National Tennis Centre. The juniors played on hardcourts, clay courts indoor courts and synthetic grass courts so had to adjust their game accordingly. Joshua Busa made the semi final 14 boys singles. On his way to the semis, Joshua beat one of the top ten players in Australia, Hugh Taylor. Brydan McLeod made the MacKillop tennis team and will travel to Newcastle at the end of April to play the NSW State Primary Schools carnival. Brydan McLeod and Neil Geikie will also represent the Central West at the State Teams event in 12 under at Bathurst in March. Both boys are the top two players for the Central West. Eddie and Eliza Brown also made the zone tennis team.
President's Report
The Club’s business plan runs until 2023 and incorporates 5 key strategies to guide the Club towards its vision "To promote and increase participation in the sport of tennis by residents of the Blue Mountains" and its mission "To develop, manage, promote and grow the Springwood Tennis Club membership and enhance the Club facilities".
How have we performed to date?
1. Increase participation and number of Club members.
The COVID19 pandemic saw a short halt to all forms of Tennis during 2020. In the second half of the year, competitions and general play recommenced. The committee and the Club Professional, Andrew McLeod, continue to monitor our COVID19 Safety Plan in line with guidelines from Government and Tennis NSW. Regular social tennis is held throughout the year and continues to be well patronised. Thank you to the organisers for a welcoming environment which is enjoyed by members and non-members alike.
2. Increase participation of juniors.
The Club occasionally hosts Junior tournaments with both girls and boys competing from across the state. This can impact the number of courts available for social tennis. The committee would like to thank members for their
understanding on this matter. It is pleasing to report that there has been an uptake by local High Schools in the use of the courts for their weekly afternoon sports activities.
3. Improve Club facilities.
The major capital works this year has been the carpet replacement on court 4, 11 & 12. The balance of expenditure has been on the ongoing upkeep of the Clubs facilities which included an upgrade to the entrance signage, repairs to
court 12 fence, repairs to the drainage pipes and the commencement of refurbishment of the court shelter sheds.
Andrew, in addition to his coaching, maintains the courts and facilities. Alan Andrews and his team oversee the repairs of the courts and maintenance of the grounds. They are to be congratulated for their efforts. A few months ago a working bee was held to tidy the nature strip on our boundary fence next to court 1. I would like to thank those volunteers for their assistance on the day. Our next working bee will be held 25th April in the afternoon to paint the shelter sheds. More details about this will be forthcoming nearer to the date. It remains a priority to upgrade the court lighting, the cost of which is significant and will rely greatly on Council funding along with grant funding from State Government and the Tennis Australia schemes. The Club, has made its first application for funding for stage 1 (courts 10-12) and we eagerly await the outcome. Thanks to Ted Withers who put many hours of work into applying for this grant. To minimise impacts on our new neighbours, the committee continues to follow up Council on upgrading the carpark. Funding has been approved but timing of the work remains unknown. The Club’s lease with council expired last month and we are pleased to announce our negotiations to enter into a new 21 year licence agreement have been successful. We expect to execute the agreement within a few weeks. The committee is looking into the installation of a hardcourt surface which would benefit both senior and junior competitive players. A presentation was recently made to the committee on a new floating hardcourt surface that can be laid on top on the existing synthetic grass. The Club will continue to investigate this surface.
4. Develop networks and partnerships with tennis clubs and associations in the region.
I was elected Tennis representative on the Blue Mountains Sports Council. The council meets four times a year to discuss all sports activities, facilities maintenance, and funding of projects. This is a good opportunity to network
with other sports and to promote and support tennis in the mountains. The long-term plan to build an Indoor Multi-Purpose Sports Centre over courts 10 – 12 remains in the business plan but focus for now is on the lighting
upgrade project.
5. Optimise effective management.
The Club is fortunate to have such capable people on our Management Committee who are willing to give up their time to help the Club prosper and make the above happen.
Don’t forget
EFTPOS is now available in the pro shop.
You can book a court online and keep up to date with Club Events and important announcements on our new
website https://play.tennis.com.au/springwoodtennisclub
Please feel free to post photos and comments via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/springwoodtennisclub
Craig Martin