Venue management
Courts, clubhouses and everything in between – plan, build and keep your venue ready for play.
Venue planning for LGAs
Developing a tennis plan is important for the long-term success of venues within a Local Government Area (LGA) – ensuring that the tennis ecosystem is set up to efficiently and effectively service the demand for the sport, including complementary racquets sports.
Part of this process should involve understanding the current provision and performance of tennis venues within the LGA and determining the ability for these venues and their operators to meet the demand for racquets sports now and into the future. A mixture of Supply and Performance Data, Demand Data and Demographic Data can be used to assist with this process.
Why venue planning matters
The effective planning and development of tennis will deliver a range of outcomes, which are based on the mutual interests of both tennis and landowners, such as Local Government.
As outlined in Sport and Recreation plans around Australia, these outcomes include:
| Accessibility | An accessible venue is one which is both physically and economically accessible and open to all members of the public. |
| Sustainability | A sustainable tennis venue is financially viable into the foreseeable future, factoring in operational costs, asset maintenance and replacement. |
| Community benefit | Community benefit can be defined as any value that the public derives from the venue and can include health and social benefits or increased community connectedness, typically driven by a service offering that meets a community’s needs. |
| Accountability | Accountability on venue operators means that they take appropriate responsibility for the asset, its ongoing sustainability and ensure that the future of the tennis venue is secured. |
The successful delivery of these outcomes will also drive significant health, social and economic benefits to the community.
As a snapshot, a local tennis plan should focus on creating a healthy tennis network. This is characterised by the right venues in the right places, operated by the right people, delivering the right activities under the right operating conditions.
Health Indicator of Tennis (HIT) Tool
One of the first steps in the planning process is to understand the provision (courts and services) and performance of the current network of venues. This provision and performance can be benchmarked against similar demographic regions to determine potential areas of focus.
Tennis’s Health Indicator of Tennis (HIT) Tool assists with this process – turning insights into action across key areas such as participation, finances and facilities.
This tennis-specific tool helps assess performance metrics to identify opportunities that can ultimately improve the overall health of tennis venues, while also providing benchmarks against tennis venues of a similar size and demographic profile.
LGAs can get an aggregated view of tennis venues in their area, which should be pivotal to creating any tennis plans.
By completing a HIT Audit in conjunction with the club and their local Member Association, clubs are able to determine:
- an overall health rating based on benchmarking against tennis venues of a similar size and demographic profile, along with specific ratings for the participation, financial and facility health of the venue.
- a detailed analysis of the current state of the venue’s facilities, and a projection of the investment that is required in the venue over the next 12 years, and the venue’s ability to meet this investment.
- an outline of specific tennis participation areas that the venue should focus on to increase participation.
- a financial forecast summary showing the estimated end of year cash flow forecast for each year for the next 12 years for the venue.
It is recommended that venues complete an audit every two years to track progress, measure the success of initiatives and refocus on the key areas identified – with the aim of continuously improving sustainability and overall health. It is also important to consider the demographics of current participants and their reasons for playing, as well as the demographic of potential participants within the local community.
For more information on utilising the HIT Tool, contact your local Member Association.
Facilities management
Tennis Infrastructure Planning Guide
Our Tennis Infrastructure Planning Guide is your ultimate playbook for planning, designing and delivering quality tennis venues, which covers the following information:
Project site and planning
This section helps you build a strong foundation before construction begins. A structured project planning process is all about doing the groundwork right – so your tennis project isn’t just built but built to last.
It includes information on:
- tennis facility planning process
- site planning
- site assessment
- project management and procurement
- financial management.
Facility planning, design delivery and maintenance
This section dives deep into everything you need to know about the design, construction and maintenance of tennis facilities and equipment. This is your action-packed design and delivery guide – turning your tennis vision into a tangible, top-tier facility.
It includes information on:
- courts and surfaces
- fencing
- lighting
- clubhouse
- equipment and accessories
- accessibility.
