Sports Resources > Latest sports news > November 2008 > 13/11/2008 - MINISTER OPENS ACE NEW WATER-SAVING TENNIS COURTS

13/11/2008 - MINISTER OPENS ACE NEW WATER-SAVING TENNIS COURTS

Play is assured in all weather for Victorian tennis stars thanks to a $171,000 Brumby Government grant.

Sport and Recreation Minister James Merlino, was joined by tennis great Todd Woodbridge to officially opened two new drought-proof tennis courts at Dendy Park Tennis Club.

“The Brumby Government is taking action to ensure all Victorian communities have the facilities they need to encourage healthy active involvement in sport,’’ Mr Merlino said.

“There’s no doubt that the drought has forced us to think of new ways to keep local sport alive in the face of climate change.

“Red porous tennis courts - like those here at Dendy Park - are the preferred playing surface for most tennis players, and comprise about 37 per cent of courts in Victoria.

“In the summer months, these courts require around 600-900 litres of water per court, each day to ensure they are safe for players, which is just not sustainable in this time of drought.

“That’s why the Victorian Government provided a Smart Water Fund grant of $171,000 to Tennis Victoria to develop an environmental sustainability strategy incorporating new and innovative technologies to reduce the amount of water required to maintain courts.

“The results have been amazing – a total of two new courts, which require 75 litres of water per day, compared to an average of 222 litres for comparable courts – and will form part of best practice guidelines to encourage other clubs and councils to follow suit,” Mr Merlino said.

Using the Smart Water Fund grant, Tennis Victoria constructed two courts using chemical additives, bentonite and latex to help absorb and retain water in the court layers to reduce the amount of water required for upkeep.

Mr Merlino said the initiative was in addition to a range of initiatives the Brumby Government was delivering to minimise the impact of drought on the sport and recreation sector.

“In December 2007, we provided $200,000 to Tennis Victoria to help reopen some 1700 tennis courts across the state that had been closed because of the drought,” Mr Merlino said.

“This involved chemically treating the courts with a mixture of calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, which demonstrated water savings of up to 80 per cent in trials.

“We have also invested $19.5 million in the Drought Relief for Community Sport and Recreation Program and the Synthetic Surfaces Program since October 2006 to help keep grassroots sports alive and to provide long-term, sustainable, low water use community sporting facilities.

“Our local sports facilities are vital to the social fabric, strength and wellbeing of any community and by improving the quality of those facilities the Brumby Government is encouraging greater participation for all Victorians.”