Albany Regional Tennis Centre opened by Sports Minister David Templeman who pledged $1.5m for four more courts

Albany Tennis Club players were thrilled to step foot in their brand new home on Thursday as the Minister for Sports and Recreation officially opened the long-awaited Albany Regional Tennis Centre. Players can now take advantage of the first stage of the $1.3m precinct, which includes six new courts, fencing, nets and an online booking system. ATC president Rex Beach said it was a “fantastic outcome” to see the state-of-the-art centre come to fruition, after having to pare back and redraw the centre’s plans multiple times since 2020 to secure funding. “It’s around one of the possible four stages,” he said. “We did have a game here last week and was very well received by all players and spectators.” Mr Beach gave special thanks to the many stakeholders that “had a big part in getting this job done”. “(The old courts were) all in a bad state of disrepair, becoming unplayable, becoming quite dangerous, to be honest,” he said. “And this having a high profile will lift the sport of tennis immensely.” Located on the eastern side of the Centennial Park sporting precinct, the new tennis centre will be the first joint home of the ATC, which was founded via the merging of Merrifield Park and Lawley Park Tennis Clubs in 2023. Before Sports Minister David Templeman cut the ribbon and stepped on the court to play “a couple of the local Ash Bartys”, he announced a $1.5m election promise to expand the centre by an additional four courts. “I’m very pleased to (say that) the Cook Labor government — through the wonderful support of Bec as a local member — is pledging a further $1.5 million towards stage two, which includes four courts and some upgrades to lighting to make sure that this magnificent club in Albany continues to expand,” he said. Albany mayor Greg Stocks said the facility would allow opportunities for Albany to host “large scale” tennis events. “The Albany Regional Tennis Centre is not just an investment in sport, but an investment in our community,” he said. “It brings together the Merrifield Park and Lawley Park Tennis Clubs to form the new Albany Tennis Club, creating opportunities for more people to engage in tennis, whether for recreation or competition, and fostering a stronger sense of community spirit.” The project was jointly funded by the WA State government, the City of Albany, Tennis Australia, and the Merrifield and Lawley Park Tennis Clubs.