New floodlights on four of its outdoor tennis courts mean the Manukau Tennis Sports and Community Centre can provide an extra 1,000 hours of playing time for locals.
And Tennis Auckland’s General Manager of Tennis and Facilities David Frank says it’s not just tennis players who will benefit.
When the astroturf on the courts is replaced, the new surface will have dual markings for netball and tennis, creating more court time for local netballers.
The $66,000 floodlight project is just part of the full-scale transformation planned for the centre – to date, about $300,000 has been spent and David says the total investment will be around $1 million by the time the upgrade is finished.
But the lighting was an important step.
“The floodlights were so old they had ceased functioning,” David says. “We couldn’t use the courts at night, so we couldn’t deliver free tennis for the kids at night during the summer or night comps for tennis.”
Tennis Auckland has 53 member tennis clubs and operates four community tennis centres in Auckland, including the Manukau Tennis Sports and Community Centre.
Its vision for the facility is to create a hub that can be used by a variety of sports and groups from the local area.
“When we set about this project, it was to reimagine a model that included tennis, was driven by tennis but gave an opportunity for a whole lot more,” says David.
“What is the point of Tennis Auckland having stewardship of a venue if we’re not going to make sure it’s full of people enjoying the place, connecting and participating in activities, one of which will be tennis.”
Now, there is a long list of groups using the centre, including D65 Community Fitness, PolyX Night Market, Extreme Hip-Hop Fitness, Discipline Games, NZ Wheelchair Tennis, Cook Islands Tennis, NZ Defence Force, Care Ministry, Sikh Games, Rippa Rugby, Kids Rugby League, Youth Expo, Cook Islands Dance, Recreate NZ (Youth Disability Provider), Hapaku Niue Youth Day, Endurance Dogs, Auckland Transport Bikes, Tug of War, Favona Pickleball, West Tongan Pickleball Association and Kohinoa Pickleball.
CLM Community Sport also has offices in the centre and has been instrumental in connecting Tennis Auckland with community groups.
The next major project on the horizon is a restoration to the Manukau Tennis Dome, which was moved to the facility from the Stanley Street complex, home of the ASB Classic, in 2011.
Sport New Zealand has identified a critical shortage of indoor facilities across the city, including South Auckland, says David, so maintaining covered playing surfaces is important.
The two indoor courts at the centre are already very popular, thanks in part to Auckland’s fickle weather.
Wiri Licensing Trust helped facilitate the new floodlights by supporting Tennis Auckland’s application for funding.
General Manager Kim Green says the Manukau Tennis Sports and Community Centre plays a pivotal role in providing a safe space for tennis, other sports and community activities.
“We love to support projects that increase engagement in sport, especially for our tamariki and rangatahi.”
David says most of the activities offered at the centre are free or subsidised so the income generated will never cover the cost of upgrading the facility to ensure it can meet the needs of the local community.
“That’s why it’s been critical to have support from Wiri Licensing Trust and the other funders that have helped us.”
Wiri Licensing Trust wants to connect with local community groups and organisations that are doing great work in our hood to understand how we can better support you – email us at info@wiritrust.org.nz.
