Victoria Park Tennis Club

Winter Newsletter 2022

Dear Members,

As we approach the half-way mark of 2022, we thought it was a good time to touch base and keep you up to date on happenings at the Club.

The 2022 AGM held in late March was well attended, and the following office bearers were elected.

• President – Paul Smyth
• Vice President – Nicole Lindeman
• Treasurer – Michael Archdeacon
• Secretary – Jason Lindeman
• Committee Members – Grant Cameron, Vlad Hardi, Judy Robbins, Christine Sandow, Annetjie vander Walt, Peter Whitehill, Lyn Withers

And the committee has been very active over the past 3 months.

The relaunched Newsletter springs from our VPTC Plan 2022, which is now finalised following the well-supported Inaugural Members’ Forum.

A glorious future

So what does the future hold? The one you told us you wanted, of course. You don’t want restaurants and gymnasiums with your tennis – otherwise you would have joined Kooyong LTC.

Nor do you want an individualised tennis experience like, where you just pay and go with no Club engagement. You clearly preference a community-based tennis experience where small is actually beautiful! Your active membership brings you friendships while enriching the wider Boroondara community.

Vlad Hardi said it’s like ‘a Village’. What kind of Village? One where local kids meet up to get the best Coaching and Junior Competition. Their parents play in a welcoming Family Environment. And the oldies have a world class Active Retirees Program. Achieving excellence in these three areas in the coming years is our strategic objective.

The biggest challenge

Membership number is a key indicator of club health. We found that our current membership of 108 is really very strong relative to similar outfits today. But consider this. In 2014 we had 220

members and in 2017 we had 160 members. Why the decline? According to our Vice President Nicole Lindeman, it mirrors a widespread trend away from tennis club membership, which has occurred for a whole host of reasons. The Covid pandemic was also a factor.

Are the days of thriving local clubs a thing of the past? Are we backing the wrong horse? Our neighbour Kew Tennis Club has had a shot in the arm through Book a Court. And we believe the membership based approach can also thrive. A few years ago the Adeney Café site was empty.

Some said local shops had had their day. Look at it now. The Café has brought the precinct to life once again. Working from home has made local community more important than ever. What it has done for local coffee we aim to do for local community tennis. And we’re sure the playground upgrade (works currently underway) will bring an enormous number of local families to our doorstep over the coming years.

Some Plan Highlights

Thanks to the consultation there are a lot of good things coming your way in 2022.

Highlights include:

Coaching and Juniors –

• Continued development of junior players from one of the most qualified teams of coaches in
• Melbourne (if not Australia).
• Return of junior competition teams, following a decline over the past two years of COVID
• Continue to foster the relationship with Kew Primary School, to encourage local families to take up membership at a local Club

Families – –

• parents and children tennis event
• new Children’s Play Area

Active Retirees Program –

• Host District Seniors social tennis
• Country train tour led by John Douglas

Good Times for All –

• Club House Working Bee
• Quiz Night
• Xmas Party to Remember

Expect a Tap on the Shoulder

Making the Plan work! In a commercial club we’d be charging hefty fees and paying someone to do the work. In our community based Club we look to each other to make it all happen free of charge!

We currently have two Positions Vacant:

• Social Secretary
• Communications Officer (Newsletter\web page)

If you think you have the skills to take on either of these roles, we’d love to hear from you.

But don’t be alarmed – most things will be just one off e.g. the Club House Working Bee. So when you get the tap just put up your hand for Victoria Park Tennis Club.

Enjoy your Winter Tennis

Paul Smyth

VPTC President

paulgerardsmyth@gmail.com

0404 080 425