Tennis Victoria’s statewide Thriving Tennis Tour has come to an end after four conferences were held throughout May. We were joined by keynote speaker Chris Anstey, who followed the tour across Victoria and told an array of stories, beginning with his junior tennis career and his love of travelling to regional Victoria to play in junior tournaments. He also recounted his key NBA experiences including the incredible feat of an undefeated record against Michael Jordan, and the long-time friendships he still holds with some of the greats of the game.
In Warragul, at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, tennis club and centre volunteers and administrators were Welcomed to Country by Gunai Kurnai representative Heather Hood. The group discussed a Safe Game Plan, and how to make their club a safe and inclusive place for children, and discovered the wonders of Igloohome Locks. The day also featured some special guest speakers including Julia Lomas, the Regional Coordinator (Gippsland) from Sport and Recreation Victoria, who hosted the council relationships and grant writing session. Blind Tennis Player Rob Fletcher also detailed his tennis journey and introduced new ways that clubs can make changes in order to embrace inclusion.
The following week, the brand-new Centrepiece at Melbourne Park played host to the Melbourne conference. The day began with a Welcome to Country, delivered by Wurrundjeri Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson. The attendees relished both the on-court and off-court sessions, with most being delivered by the tennis community, enabling the attendees to learn from each other. A solid agenda included Women and Girls’ workshop, how to make your club stand out from the crowd using your website and social media, inclusion and diversity, safeguarding children, operating and management models, grant writing workshops, facility planning and the Competitive Play session.
The tour then journeyed north to Swan Hill, where attendees were treated to an incredibly special smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country with Wamba Wamba man Uncle Ron Murray. Uncle Ron explained the cultural history of the Swan Hill region and spoke about his family who grew up in the town, giving everyone a greater respect for the country on which we walk and play. The conference also saw the much-anticipated relaunch of the Grass Court Network, as the team outlined their plans to help support grass court curators in providing a sustainable grass court venue. Led by the expertise of Swan Hill Lawn Tennis Club curator and Country Week Legend Dan Gardner, all attendees got insight into the detailed preparation of a grass court and discussed potential support they require back at their venue.
Shepparton was the final stop on the Thriving Tennis Tour, with the event hosted at Parklake Shepparton. The relaunch of the Grass Court Network continued here with both professional and volunteer groundskeepers engaging in the sessions. Whilst hearing from experts in their field, including guest speakers such as Mark Lambourn from Goulburn Murray Junior League and Peta Brown from Greater Shepparton City Council, club representatives took the opportunity to build stronger relationships with associations and clubs in similar situations to them and walked away with an abundance of ideas that they can look to use in the future.
It was wonderful to see so many volunteers, coaches and administrators from all over the state in person, thank you to everyone who joined us at our four conferences.
We can’t wait to get back on the road again, and we want to ensure our next tour is even better!
If you attended a Thriving Tennis Tour conference, we’d love to hear from you. Click here to give us your feedback!
Latest
VIC