27 June 2020 | Tennis Queensland

Queensland clubs using Tennis Australia’s award winning Book a Court online booking system experienced a dramatic increase in the number of people playing tennis during May 2020, compared to the same time last year.

There was a 165% increase in bookings at the 28 tennis venues using the technology last month (May) alone.

The sharp rise was reflected across Australia, with a record 32,234 bookings  made across the country at 235 tennis venues.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley is not surprised by the increase.

“We’ve always known that tennis is a unique sport – it can be played by anyone no matter their age or ability – and now, during the pandemic, we are seeing more people enjoying the social, mental and physical benefits of sport while maintaining strict physical distancing measures,” Tiley said.

“The increase in bookings we’ve seen across the country is not accidental. Safety and trust have been the most important factors as clubs and coaches across the country have prepared for the return to tennis and the team has done a remarkable job to give everyone the information and bio security protocols they need to get players back on court as safely as possible. And our clubs and tennis venues are seeing the rewards as a result of their efforts

“As restrictions in most of the country continue to ease over the coming months we hope to build on these results as we approach our summer, and know that as long as we all continue to play our part and practice all the physical distancing and hygiene protocols, tennis at all levels can also play a major role in the recovery from this devastating pandemic.

Book a Court data fast facts:
• An analysis of the 173 tennis venues that have been using the Book a Court system for more than 12 months showed bookings across Australia more than doubled from 10,912 in May 2019 to 22,569 in May 2020
• Queensland had two of the top five clubs nationally increasing their bookings in May, both in small regional areas.