The 2019 Pride in Sport Awards Finalists were announced on Tuesday, with WA Tennis represented across three of the Community Award categories. Perth’s Loton Park Tennis Club was named as one of four finalists in the Small Club Award category, and former top 10 doubles player, and top 30 singles player Casey Dellacqua was named as one of four finalists for the Out Role Model Award, sharing the honour alongside Loton Park Club President, Tony Boutoubia.
The Australian Pride in Sport Awards acknowledge achievement within the Pride in Sport Index (PSI), Australia’s national benchmarking instrument for LGBTIQ inclusion within Australian sport endorsed and co-developed by Sport Australia and the Australian Human Rights Commission. In addition, the Awards recognise smaller clubs, LGBTI community sports, coaches, role models and allies for their contribution.
The 2019 Small Club Award category recognises the unique challenges faced by small sports clubs and organisations in promoting LGBTI inclusion and seeks to acknowledge the work and activity of those clubs that have made a positive impact on LGBTI communities, players and inclusion more generally within the 2018 calendar year.
As the only Australian LGBTI member-based managed tennis club in Australia, Loton Park Tennis Club confidently promotes their inclusivity through the rainbow motif on their club logo and via their motto “Diversity is our advantage”.
The humble eight court venue has a 100 year history, and a solid membership base that has grown in recent years, largely as a result of membership drives aimed at attracting females, culturally diverse, and transgender members of the LGBTI Community. The club has also focused on attracting non-LGBTI members, in order to build acceptance and integration within the community and become an inclusive tennis club.
In recent years Loton Park Tennis Club has also formed solid relationships with other LGBTI sporting clubs in Perth, allowing them access and use of their club facilities to hold events and cross-promote LGBTI sports in the community. Likewise, tennis opportunities and social days are also offered to various Universities and young LGBTI groups in an effort to attract and engage young members of the LGBTI community.
In January 2019, Loton Park hosted its third Perth Lawn Tennis Championships, Perth’s first sanctioned Gay & Lesbian Alliance (GLTA) world-wide tennis event. The feedback from the players survey was so overwhelming in the first year (2017), that in 2018, the GLTA Board of Directors named the tournament the Best Small Tennis Tournament world-wide out of 93 sanctioned Tennis Tournaments held globally, an achievement never before awarded to any tournament in its inaugural year.
In a further coup for the club, the success of the tournament, alongside their increased social offering and events, including hosting gay weddings and engagement functions, has enabled the club to self-fund the resurfacing of their two hard courts, with the added bonus of having their club name inscribed across the bottom of the court in the style of some of the world’s most recognisable tennis tournaments.
Loton Park Tennis Club President, Tony Boutoubia is proud that his club’s achievements in the local community have been recognised nationally through these awards.
“The Committee and Club members have worked extremely hard to create a safe and inclusive sporting venue for all. We are working with other tennis clubs and sporting clubs to promote acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTI community in sport”.
“Our motto is Diversity is our advantage, and we live by this each and every day”
“Loton Park Tennis Club are proud of its colourful history of inclusiveness and will continue to lead the way to welcome and accept the diverse and wonderful people in our local and wider community” Mr Boutoubia said.
As the President of the Loton Park Tennis Club, Tony Boutoubia has also been recognised for his contribution, by being named as one of four finalists in the Out Role Model Award category, which recognises the critical role that role models play in sending a message of inclusion within sport.
Boutoubia, also known as ‘Tony Tennis’, is a well-known out role model in the Tennis and LGBTI Perth community. He actively promotes access to tennis and competition for all members of the local community, with a particular focus on diversity and acceptance within the sport. Boutoubia is also an active tennis player who competes in the worldwide Gay and Lesbian Tennis circuit, and in 2018 was ranked world number 1 in A-Grade doubles, and competed in the World Championship Titles in Germany earlier this year.
As President, Boutoubia plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the club provides an open and safe space for LGBTIQ tennis players to have fun, play competitive tennis, and socialise in an environment where all members and guests share the value of diversity and inclusion.
Boutoubia also plays a key role in building relationships with other LGBTI sporting clubs and youth groups, and has been a formidable force behind the recent membership drive.
In 2018, Boutoubia was named Co-Tournament Director for the Perth Lawn Tennis Championships, and used his position to promote pride in sport, the tennis club, and other LGBTI sport offerings available in the Perth community. Following the tournament, the club subsequently noted a considerable rise in new members and social players.
Mr Boutoubia said he is honoured to be selected as a finalist for the Pride in Sport Out Role Model Award, and credits the club members for their unconditional acceptance. He hopes that these awards help to shine a light on diversity and inclusiveness within sport.
“I came out as a gay man in 2011 with the help of the Loton Park Tennis Club, a unique LGBTIQ Perth based club where members embrace all elements of people’s diversity and accepts these differences unconditionally, while sharing the fun of tennis”.
“I would encourage everyone to be and find their true authentic self, be proud and confident of who you are, and continue to play or join the sport that makes you happy”.
“Sport does not discriminate, People do! My aim is to educate, take action and build inclusiveness at all sporting levels, to change the minds and hearts of all sports people to allow everyone to play sport together”. Mr Boutoubia said.
Joining Tony Boutoubia as an Out Role Model Award Finalists, is WA tennis legend, Casey Dellacqua, who has become a highly regarded ambassador for tennis and the LGBTI community. The Mixed Doubles Grand Slam winner has played a pivotal role in the Australian Tennis landscape for many years, before retiring last year to spend more time with her partner Amanda Judd, and their 3 children, Blake, Andy and Jesse.
The former WA local, who hails from Kingsley, had a stellar career that saw her rise to No.3 in doubles – she won the French Open mixed doubles title in 2011 and reached the final of all four Grand Slams in women’s doubles, and cracked the top 30 in singles.
Dellacqua was a Guest Speaker at the 2018 Pride in Sport Awards and also spoke about her experiences as a gay woman at the Open Playbook: Being Queer and Out in Pro Tennis event that was held prior to the 2018 US Open Tennis event.
The 2019 Pride in Sport Awards will be held on Wednesday 12 June at Cargo Hall in Melbourne, and will be hosted by SBS and NITV’s Matty Webb.
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