Tennis club aims to serve up summer social competition

BALLINA Tennis Club is gearing up for a busy summer as it prepares to host its signature event, while expanding its social competition to attract new players to the sport.

The club juggles its junior coaching programs while being run by a group of volunteers who play in senior and social competitions.

The facility has 11 courts and has been enhanced in recent years with an outdoor refurbishment and LED lighting.

End-of-year discounts are set to return to help promote the game and showcase the facility.

“We have a lot of older players who more active in the morning and there is plenty of time for people to get on the courts,” club volunteer Niall Ridge said.

“A family can pay $100 and basically play as much as they want at that price until the end of January.”

Adults can play for $50 with courts available from 7am until curfew at 10pm. Discounts are available until January 31.

Moving forward, the club hopes to have two new hard-court surfaces, which are part of the Hampton Park redevelopment plan with Ballina Shire Council.

It would also include more parking and better access to the sports precinct.

“The new courts would really benefit the juniors,” Ridge said.

“It would be better preparation for them to play on hard courts before going away to play in tournaments.”

The Ballina New Year Open tournament will attract hundreds of players to the facility.

It will be an Australian ranking points tournament and is scheduled to be held over four days from January 2

To book court times and for membership information visit play.tennis.com.au/ballinatennisclub/Membership/Join