6 January 2014 | Tennis Victoria

Tennis Victoria is excited to announce the Frankston Firebirds as the winners of the 2013 ATL Places to Play Community Spirit Award.

The Frankston Firebirds Team Manager Anne Baldwin was ecstatic when notified of the club’s win “We have always thought of ourselves as being a very community spirited tennis club, and Tennis Australia’s innovative ATL concept has provided us with such a terrific opportunity to showcase these amazingly talented players – in particular the up-and-coming Junior stars of the future – to our community on our own door step.   Player development opportunities are so important to the growth and progression of these ATL players in their future tennis careers and we feel so lucky to be able to be part of that. The home Super Round gave us the chance to do just that and promote tennis out to the broader Frankston community and the hundreds of visitors who gathered to watch the ATL stars of the future.” 

Tennis Australia and the Places to Play team have awarded Frankston Tennis Club, the home of the Frankston Firebirds, a facility upgrade prize up to the value of $5000, for demonstrating the best community and team spirit in the 2013 ATL Vic Conference.

The Places to Play department at Tennis Australia are partnering the Asia-Pacific Tennis League to bring the best players to the best clubs and showcase them at the best venues. The ATL is pleased to partner with the Places to Play team to recognise our clubs with the best community spirit.

Tennis Victoria’s Competitions Manager Jeff Downes was excited about the announcement “The 2013 ATL Vic Conference clubs all did an amazing job hosting their Super Rounds showing their genuine passion for this exciting league. This certainly wasn’t an easy decision as numerous clubs would have been worthy winners. The Frankston Tennis Club engaged the community welcoming Frankston City Council Mayor, Cr Darrel Taylor, seven different groups from local primary schools, local soccer and basketball clubs as well as Hot Shots participants and club cheerleaders at their Super Round. The arrival of the team on-court on a fire truck was certainly a unique way to capture the imagination of their local tennis community and local press, and will go down in ATL folklore.”