It has never been easier to hire a tennis court and get out for a hit thanks to Book-A-Court, the online tennis court booking system, and the Pines Tennis Club in Chisholm credits this accessibility for a 30% increase in their membership in the past 12 months alone.
“The Book-A-Court system is great and works very well for our club with four courts and a HotShots/hitting wall Kids’ Zone,” says Pines President Graeme Barnes. “Book-A-Court has enabled much greater access to the courts by the general public, who now book and pay online, and no longer need to contact a committee member to let them in to the courts. It has also allowed us to implement new membership categories such as six monthly memberships and pay by the month subscription memberships.”
The latest data from AusPlay* supports what clubs such as The Pines are seeing in real-time, with 1,529,000 Aussies, including 1,227,800 adults and 301,200 children, hitting courts across the country. Already dubbed the fastest growing sport across all ages, tennis out-performed 15 other activities and sports, including AFL, basketball and soccer, with a 37 per cent increase in adult participation alongside a 29 per cent increase in children picking up a racquet in the last 12 months.
There’s little doubt the Australian Open inspires more people each year to pick up a racquet, whether they are life-long players getting back out for a hit or people brand new to the sport who want to give it a go, have some fun in an outdoor setting and socialise with mates.
“There’s a regular uptick in public bookings for our courts for January and February each year, during and following the Australian Open,” confirms Barnes, who can clearly see through the club’s data the increase in traffic that occurs at their club.
And this month there is no better time to use Book-A-Court and get out for a hit. In celebration of the spectacular Aussie success stories at this year’s Australian Open, tennis courts across the country are set to throw open their gates and offer 10,000 hours of free court hire over the next month.
“There’s simply no better way to celebrate the success of our Aussie players than by giving free access to tennis to as many people as we can, right across the country,” says Tennis Australia Chief Operating Officer Tom Larner. “Tennis clubs around Australia are ready to welcome you with open arms.”
Using Book-A-Court is as simple as going to play.tennis.com.au and entering a postcode to find a club and selecting the day and time for having a hit. The free hour of court hire offer is an online-only offer available to all Australians at selected clubs with one booking per person, with a booking fee cap of $20. Head to www.play.tennis.com.au/court-hire to redeem the free court hire. Enter code FREECOURT at checkout. The offer is valid at participating clubs from now until Monday 28 February 2022.
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