Dear Members,

I would like to thank everyone for their continued patronage at Gosford Tennis Club over the past 2 years. It has been a challenging time with the hands on operation of all activities becoming the responsibility of the volunteer committee. Prior to the last 2 years the centre has been run by third party operator who has paid rent to the association for the privilege. This has always allowed sufficient cash reserves to fund ongoing capital improvements such as resurfacing of courts, replacement of fencing and better lighting as well as allowing the committee to focus on the strategic direction of the club rather than the day to day operations. In recent times, as a result of changing council lease requirements, the association has had to run all elements of the centre itself including competitions, coaching and tournaments as well as the continued maintenance. Unfortunately everything has not gone as smoothly as expected. There have been difficulties associated with the management of the Club and things have been tight from a financial perspective. It has been a steep learning curve which has involved extensive time commitment of a mostly volunteer base.

Over the last 4 months a number of changes have been implemented at the club and things are looking promising for the future. There have been a couple of very successfully run Australian Money Tournaments (AMT) which have not only brought money into the club but also re-established confidence within Tennis NSW and Tennis Australia of the clubs ability to continue to run such tournaments into the future. These events see some of Australia’s best up and coming tennis professionals compete against local players for cash prizes. They are a lead into the ITF and ATP tennis circuit and always see a very high level of tennis.

There are a number of events coming up over the next few months, so things are going to be pretty busy. There is an open day this coming weekend, the 8th September, where the community can meet the new coaching staff and enjoy a hit of tennis. The day is open to everyone, so please bring along any family and friends who might be interested.  An inter-club event is being organised for the 23rd September which will see a number of clubs across the central coast come together to see who comes out victorious. GTC will also be hosting a Seniors Tournament on the weekend of the 19th to 22nd October. This event will see a large number of players over the age of 35 coming together from across NSW to socialise and compete in a round robin style event. For details on all of these events please contact the centre.

Over the past months the association’s committee have had numerous meeting with members of Central Coast Council in an effort to ensure improved lease conditions as well as increasing the likelihood of receiving government funding of facilities improvements. We are building a strong relationship with the council and things are looking very positive for the club and tennis on the Central Coast in general.

I am also excited to see ongoing improvements to the coaching programs at the Club since the appointment this term of Bill McDonald and Alex Fielding. The numbers are starting to increase again and things are looking very positive moving forward. There is still plenty of availability, but get in quick as these guys are in demand and positions are expected to fill up quickly.

Weekly competitions are running quite well, with everyone enjoying their tennis, however it would be great to see some new faces. If you’re keen to give social competition a try please contact the club and we will help you determine which slot will be suit your ability. Another option is to come along to Saturday afternoon social tennis. This involves playing doubles or singles with different players each set. It’s a very laid back and social atmosphere which is a lot of fun.

The association Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 7:30pm on the 24th of September and is an excellent opportunity for members to find out first hand what is going on at the club. It also provides an opportunity for members to get involved with the committee and become a part of setting the future direction of the club.

A number of new sponsors have come on board over the last few months and we thank them for their contributions and ask you support them whenever possible. In the near future the existing wind brakes will be replaced with new ones promoting these sponsors.

Thanks again for your involvement with the club, and I look forward to working together to make Gosford Tennis Club one of the best clubs in Australia.

Chris Lees
President, Gosford Tennis Club