Plan for improved Memorial Drive to be back in the big time within three years
A REVAMPED Memorial Drive should again be in a position to bid for Davis Cup, Fed Cup and mens’ and women’s professional tennis events within three years.
A REVAMPED Memorial Drive should again be in a position to bid for Davis Cup, Fed Cup and mens’ and women’s professional tennis events within three years.
The key stakeholders — Adelaide City Council, Tennis SA, Adelaide Oval and Next Generation — are in discussions over how to best use the $10 million committed by the Federal Government in an election promise earlier this year.
The money has been earmarked to bring the Riverbank precinct up to speed by making the tennis centre meet the requirements for international events.
The Advertiser understands there is no firm timeline, but that it is expected the works required for stage one — which will make the tennis venue compliant with international regulations — are well under way by the time the next Federal Election is due in 2019.
Plans are in place to create a 500-seat show court that can be expanded to 2000 seats, two match courts and a refiguration of courts and facilities to complete stage one.
A key aim of the first stage is to link practice courts, show courts and other facilities without players having to walk outside and cross busy intersections to get from one place to the next.
The grand plan is for discussions to then turn to creating a $200 million multipurpose stadium which can cater for tennis, netball, basketball and other events in a 10,000-seat arena.
It has been projected a new multipurpose arena on the banks of River Torrens could provide as many as 100 days of content each year, roughly tripling the main event figures for the neighbouring Adelaide Oval, with its 50,000-plus capacity.
Tennis SA chief executive Steven Baldas the completion of stage two — the multipurpose arena — would help complete the Riverbank precinct.
It would also give female sport — highlighted by the upcoming AFL women’s league — would a platform to be showcased in the city.
“This will give primary female sports a presence in the precinct,” Baldas told The Advertiser. “And I think that’s really important for the state.
“At the moment you’ve got essentially primary male sports: cricket, AFL and soccer at the Adelaide Oval.
“We want primary female sports: netball, basketball and tennis to also have a presence in the precinct.”
TENNIS SA on Thursday announced a new initiative to open up more courts to the public.
Beginning with the courts on the corner of Memorial Drive and Montefiore Rd, North Adelaide, the public will be able to book courts online that have been previously locked and access them from $10 per hour off peak.
It is envisaged the new technology used in the project will also be used by suburban clubs opening up courts for a fee — with bookings and payments made online — with most of the proceeds going to the clubs.
Chief executive Steven Baldas said it was another move to make the game more accessible.