Partnership delivers improved tennis facilities in Queensland

The Queensland Government has partnered with Tennis Queensland to deliver the 'Tennis in State Schools' initiative with the aim of improving tennis facilities at Queensland state schools and to give tennis enthusiasts from the wider community greater access to those facilities.

Under the three-year, $1.5 million initiative, all state schools will be able to apply for funding to improve their tennis facilities. The initiative will consider a range of proposals, including new courts, improvements to existing courts, and repairs of existing tennis facilities.

Once the facilities have been upgraded, they will be available for community use, with Tennis Queensland providing insurance cover for the facilities if the school is affiliated with it.

Announcing the partnership, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stated “Queensland has produced some great tennis champions. Rod Laver, Pat Rafter and Sam Stosur have done us all proud.

“Now we’ve got Ash Barty leading the charge up the current world rankings, and other young Queenslanders John Millman, Jordan Thompson, Kimberly Birrell and Priscilla Hon are making their mark internationally as well.

“I am sure many more young people are keen to emulate their success.”

Funding for the initiative will comprise equal contributions from Tennis Queensland, the Department of Education and individual Queensland state schools, on a ‘third-share’ basis.

The Queensland Government is already a key sponsor of the Brisbane International and Brisbane International Schools Challenge with this agreement extending the partnership through the delivery of new or upgraded tennis facilities at schools.

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said there were close to 900 state schools across the state with a tennis or multi-purpose court, however only 275 have a specifically designated tennis court.

Minister Grace added “we have structured the program to ensure that as many eligible schools as possible will benefit.

“We are working on the principle that if you provide the right facilities, students will want to play tennis.

“This program will help support participation in tennis in state schools as part of a broader whole-of-Government approach to promote active and healthy living and improve participation of school students in the sport of tennis.”

Tennis Queensland Chief Executive Mark Handley welcomed the opportunity to encourage more young Queenslanders to get active through tennis, concluding “Tennis Queensland is delighted to partner with the Queensland Government to ensure state schools in Queensland are provided with the opportunity to improve their tennis playing infrastructure.

“Tennis is genuinely a sport for life. We are thrilled to support this initiative for students and the wider community to access tennis and facilitate a life-long love of the sport.”

Schools can apply for funding from 25th March to 24th May, with the successful applicants to be advised during late term 2.