A $50,000 grant has been awarded to Te Kura Hagley Park Tennis Club towards a new tennis court development in the heart of Christchurch. It is a significant contribution from NZCT towards the $270,000 needed to complete the project.

The grant will enable work to begin on four new Plexipave courts at Hagley Park.

“We were ecstatic to learn our application was successful,” says Club Vice-President Sarah Schneideman. “Without this funding, the club would not be able to deliver tennis to our wider community. The new courts are also vital to maintaining the club’s membership.”

The new courts will allow the Te Kura Hagley Park Tennis Club to fulfil its goal of growth and retention over the coming years. The Plexipave surface will mean the club will be able to offer more tennis to more players throughout the year as the majority of its current courts are grass. Plexipave is a premium acrylic, all-weather surface.

“Our location in Hagley Park is beautiful and being able to offer tennis on a range of surfaces will be appealing to a large spectrum of people,” says Sarah. “We have a wide age range in our club. The youngest is 3 years old and the oldest is 98 years old.”

Other sporting codes will also use the new courts. The club is in the process of joining the North Hagley Sports Trust which will open up use of the courts in winter. Neighbouring schools will also have access for winter sports fitness training.

Being able to start work on the courts is a huge boost for the new club. It was formed through a merger of the Old Boys Te Kura and Hagley Park tennis clubs in 2017. Old Boys Te Kura lost six of their courts in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes due to the need for Christchurch Boys’ High to redevelop their school. An amalgamation with the Hagley Park club, which was suffering from dwindling numbers, was the perfect solution. “We now have an enthusiastic joint committee and the future for the two clubs together is exciting,” says Sarah.

“Te Kura Hagley Park is one of the biggest junior clubs in Christchurch and our numbers are increasing,” says Sarah. “We couldn’t keep on running the programme with the current facilities. NZCT has been fantastic. The staff helped us with the application process to give us the best possible chance of a positive outcome.”

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