New facilities for Ocean Grove Tennis Club

OCEAN Grove Tennis Club hopes its members and the community will soon be able to access its new Asbury Street clubrooms and function space.
The stunning new facility was completed a week after coronavirus restrictions were enforced in late March, putting the much anticipated grand opening on hold.
OGTC president Leon Eyck said everyone was keen to get in and take possession of the new building as the club plans to welcome back regulars and pitch the facilities to a broader audience.
“We’re ready to go and can’t wait to open the doors,’’ he said.
“The building was finished a week after we were denied access back in March.’’
The new build was made possible through significant funding from the state and local government and the club’s own finances, in a project totalling between $1.4 and $1.5 million.
It features the capacity to host functions for up to 120 people, a new commercial kitchen and kiosk, hit-up wall for kids, and changeroom facilities which replace the outdated toilets.
“We will be in a much better place to cater for match days, club and external functions,’’ Mr Eyck said.
“We’ll be able to cater for up to 120 people with a great mid-size facility. We’ll have hot coffee at the kiosk for parents watching juniors on cold mornings which we’re sure will be a big hit.’’
The building will complement the modern OGTC facilities including the five mod-Grass tennis courts with Spectra Ace lighting and the two public access plexipave courts.
Critically for the club, the new facility is wheelchair compliant, paving the way for disabled tennis to take place in the future.
“Wheelchair tennis is something we’ve spoken about for sometime, so we pushed that in the masterplan before going ahead with the build,’’ Mr Eyck said.
“We think it ties in with what Ocean Grove offers – the Disabled Surfers Association is an inspiring part of our community and we are proud of that.
“We want our facilities to be open and accessible to everyone, to do our part, to set the standard and hope others will follow.’’
Mr Eyck said the club would explore the possibility of a fundraising event to purchase wheelchairs for use at the club as part of that push.
While competitive tennis is still in recess, some social play has resumed, subject to some restrictions, and members are now able to book courts via the club’s website.
The project was designed and planned by De Atelier Architects and constructed by BCH builders.
Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the official opening date.
“We’ve had great support from Bellarine MP Lisa Neville securing funding for the project, and we hope she’ll be able to get to the grand opening, whenever that may be.’’
If you would like to become involved at the club, head to tennis.com.au/oceangrove.