General News
7 November, 2024
Night fever: switch lifts tennis numbers
By CHRIS EARL FRIDAY night pennant tennis has seen an immediate jump in player numbers at Boort. The lawn tennis club has ditched traditional Saturday afternoon matches for its 2024-2025 season that started last Friday. “We’ve gone from four...
By CHRIS EARL
FRIDAY night pennant tennis has seen an immediate jump in player numbers at Boort.
The lawn tennis club has ditched traditional Saturday afternoon matches for its 2024-2025 season that started last Friday.
“We’ve gone from four teams of six players to now having eight players in each side,” said club treasurer Alister McDougal.
“A couple have dropped out from last season but we’ve picked up a dozen players with some returning after a year or two off from the competition.
“The change to Friday nights also suits families and allows people to play other sports on a Saturday.
McDougal and club president Greg Bear said the switch had been under consideration for several years.
“The proposed redevelopment of the Little Lake Boort precinct includes lighting for the tennis courts,” McDougal said.
While funding is still to be secured for the Loddon Shire-backed project, Boort’s tennis club has brought in temporary lighting to play on Friday nights.
“The change has also lifted the number of youngsters taking part in our junior program,” said Bear.
“Last year we had only eight youngsters on a Saturday morning, tonight we had 20 turn up for coaching before the pennant competition started.
“There’s a really family atmosphere bringing people together for tennis and socialising at the end of the working and school week.”
Club officials said they were confident the new Friday format would halt the decline in participation experienced in the last five years.
The Boort change comes as Inglewood and District Tennis Association leaders have also started talks on future format options with that competition now reduced to four teams.
Loddon Eagles last week withdrew from the new season after playing just one match. Eagles had been unable to muster player numbers.
The Inglewood association, like Boort, has seen a drop in player and team numbers and is aiming to grow a family-friendly culture.
Wedderburn Lawn Tennis Club has organised January junior clinics the last two years. The club’s next generation of players is with parents at Saturday matches, taking to the courts between competitive sets and the afternoon tea break.
According to McDougal, the return of several families to the Boort competition had been a big positive from the Friday night decision.
“Families had been having to juggle sporting commitments on a Saturday,” he said,
“Those in the local cricket sides travel pretty much every second week to other towns and that can make it impossible to be back in Boort to play tennis in the afternoon.
“We also have some now also earning a spot in the senior cricket side.
“Scheduling our competition on Friday night gives them the opportunity to continue playing both sports and creates family time.”