Cracked walls, no working shower, lack of disabled access leave tennis club seeking help
While millions of dollars are being invested into sports facilities in Adelaide’s west, one club is desperately seeking help to update its dilapidated facility.
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With cracked walls, no working shower, no disability access to toilets and an overwhelming lack of storage, Peake Gardens Riverside Tennis Club members say their Marleston facilities are in desperate need of an upgrade.
The club has not had a major overhaul in more than a decade and members are hoping they will be successful in securing an Office of Recreation and Sport grant for $1m to undertake badly needed work.
President Jeff Ramm said Peake Gardens has 260 members, making it the biggest tennis club out west.
“Our last upgrade was in 2010 and it’s been over six years that we’ve been talking about plans for new club rooms,” he said.
Mr Ramm said changing rooms were desperately needed at the club.
“We’ve got squad training kids coming from Westminster and Sacred Heart and no changing rooms for them,” he said.
Mr Ramm said power to the site was another issue.
“We’d love to be able to light all 14 courts, but we don’t have enough power to do it, at the moment we’ve only got 12 courts under lights,” he said.
Mr Ramm said it would be financially beneficial to the club to get the extra two courts under lights, especially with social tennis so popular.
He said with the club having a 20 year lease over the facility, members were committed to the site.
“We’re not going anywhere and we’re trying to build the club,” he said.
Club president Malcolm House said it was disheartening to not have the funding secured for the badly-needed work at the site, at the same time that so much investment is happening in other facilities.
Millions of dollars have been invested in western sporting facilities in recent years including the $7m Weigall Oval upgrade at Plympton and a $2m upgrade at Lockleys Oval.
Plans have also been released for a major revamp of Richmond Oval, where $20m could potentially be spent across the next 10 years.
“All we want is usable clubrooms, we don’t want a monolith,” Mr House said.
“Basically all we want is a canteen area, deck area and social area, a good facility for our coach (who is currently operating out of an Atco hut) and proper toilets, shower and change rooms.”
The club will hear on Thursday night whether it has been successful in securing the grant for their upgrade.
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