Tennis: Net gain plan for sport at all levels

A lot of balls in the air . . . New Tennis Otago operations manager Joyce Andrew has big plans...
A lot of balls in the air . . . New Tennis Otago operations manager Joyce Andrew has big plans for the sport in the region. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
New Tennis Otago operations manager Joyce Andrew is hoping to breathe some new life into the sport in the region.

The 24-year-old has been in the role just under three weeks and, armed with a masters in sports management from the University of Otago and bundles of enthusiasm, she has been busy planning its revival.

While tennis is a global game with a huge international following, the game has withered in Dunedin.

Player numbers have fallen away. Retaining the best players in the region has been a struggle and the structures which are needed for a sport to thrive have not been in place.

But Andrew's appointment should help address the issues. She started in the role in a part-time capacity in December but the position was upgraded to a fulltime role 2 weeks ago.

‘‘Yep. It is a one-woman band at the moment,'' she joked.

‘‘It is quite an all-encompassing role, ranging from the strategic direction ... to sponsorship, competition management and another key component is co-ordinating all the areas.

‘‘We have some big plans for tennis. The first step has been to create this role and that is so we can better support everybody who wants to play tennis.

‘‘We want to get the most out of all levels, so the next couple of months we need to analyse what needs to be put in place.''

Her initial plans include more initiatives targeted at primary school pupils and to provide better support and competitions for secondary school pupils.

The development structures need shoring up and there are plans to more fully embrace social leagues.

‘‘I guess tennis in Otago hasn't been in the best health,'' she acknowledged.

‘‘But, looking forward, what we can do ... is bring everything together so everybody has positive perceptions and feels involved and get everything moving in the right direction.''

Tennis Otago has 380 registered junior and senior players. The Otago University Tennis Association has 250 players and there are about 100 veteran players.

The secondary schools competitions is up from 51 teams to 62 teams (an increase of about 30 players). That is about 900 players so there is certainly room for growth and there is some evidence to suggest the sport is growing again.

The number of entrants at last month's Otago Junior Open was the highest it has been ‘‘in a number of years'' with 84 participants.

There are also plenty of people playing the sport casually and Andrew hopes to bring them into the fold.

‘‘People's time is more in demand these days and they just want to go to something quite informal and have a hit around.''

The Otago University Tennis Association is planning a league on Friday night to capture that crowd and Tennis Otago is keen to support the competition. There is also talk of Unipol getting a social competition up and running.

Andrew previously worked at the Dunedin Netball Centre as the centre co-ordinator. She believes that experience has set her up well for her new role. She hails from Dipton near Gore and played competitive tennis until she was 18.

Add a Comment