About the tennis facilities and club

The Brunswick Street Oval precinct is home to the Fitzroy Tennis Club.

Fitzroy Tennis Club was recognised by Tennis Victoria as one of the top 50 clubs in the state in 2018/19 (coming in at ninth overall). This ranking is based on the number of players registered by affiliated clubs and the number of casual hire visits that the venue receives

The tennis courts are also available to the community for casual bookings.

What is being proposed for the tennis courts?

We are proposing to build a new two-storey pavilion, that will include facilities for the tennis club on the ground floor and community facilities on the first floor.

The existing small heritage tennis pavilion will be relocated and incorporated as part of the design.

Under the proposed design:

• The tennis court area will be extended to the north and west to allow for the addition of 2 extra courts (for 8 courts in total).
• All courts will be upgraded to meet disability access and Tennis Australia standards.

What is proposed for the tennis pavilion and community facilities?

We are proposing to rebuild the tennis pavilion, making the original heritage pavilion the entrance to the new pavilion.

The current club room facilities are dated, do not provide for the current membership size, coaching and competition program, and are not accessible for people with disability.

The proposed pavilion upgrade is two-storeys, to take up minimal space and have limited impact on the surrounding landscape. It includes:

• A tennis pavilion with direct access to the courts on the ground floor. This space will include a kitchen, social room, storage and amenities.
• The ground floor includes an extensive outdoor area to watch the tennis. This is partly undercover and surrounded by a green wall.
• Community facilities on the first floor. There will be a separate entrance to access this space, which will include a community room, meeting room, commercial kitchen and amenities.
• Proposed landscaping to the west of the tennis pavilion includes a lawn and bocce court. It is designed to connect the pavilion across to the bowling club.

Why do we need more tennis courts?

The demand for tennis courts in Yarra far outweighs the supply.

Yarra is home to 1531 registered tennis players. 835 (54.5%) of these are registered participants at Clifton Hill Tennis Club/Mayors Park Tennis Centre and Fitzroy Tennis Club. The remaining 696 (45.5%) have to leave the City of Yarra to play tennis at other affiliated tennis venues around Melbourne and Victoria.

The ideal ratio for tennis courts per head of population is 1 court for every 2,000 people.

On this basis, to adequately cater for tennis, there should be 47 tennis courts in Yarra. However, we currently only have 18 tennis courts. This is well below the ideal number, with the ratio of courts per head of population currently sitting at 1 court for every 5,222 people.

Fitzroy Tennis Club is struggling to service their current membership with the number of courts currently available. Additional courts that meet disability access and Tennis Australia standards will enable a broader program of coaching and playing, recreation and competition for people of all abilities.

Why can’t the tennis court area be extended to the east?

It is not possible to extend the tennis courts and facilities to the east of the existing courts due to the presence of significant civil infrastructure that is located underground (the M41 water mains and a major gas supply main) and the planned further development of the Edinburgh Gardens Stormwater Harvesting Scheme by Yarra City Council and Melbourne Water.