Tennis Qld to advise Logan council and Club Beenleigh over court lease after coach sacked

The state’s tennis authority, Tennis Queensland, has stepped in and will advise Logan City Council and the club it appointed to run its tennis centre, where the head coach was sacked.

Coach Nike Newell was sacked from his role at Beenleigh.

The state’s tennis authority, Tennis Queensland, has stepped in and will give advice to all parties after the sacking of a head coach at one of the southside’s largest tennis centres.

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Tennis Queensland president Mark Handley said the authority was aware of the sacking of Mike Newell at the Beenleigh tennis precinct, owned by Logan City Council.

Mr Newell was sacked last month by Club Beenleigh, the sports club appointed by Logan council to manage and maintain the city’s 10-court tennis centre.

Mr Handley said Tennis Queensland had a strong and healthy relationship with both Club Beenleigh, as an affiliated tennis club, and Logan council.

“We are committed to supporting the growth and delivery of tennis for the Logan community and will continue to provide assistance and advice to both entities.”

Logan City Council distanced itself from the sacking, claiming it was a matter for Club Beenleigh, who the council appointed to run the courts.

The sacking reignited a decade-long row between Club Beenleigh and its rival Beenleigh Tennis Club over the rights to the council-owned tennis courts.

Club Beenleigh, which operates a pokie-based multi-sports club, has been feuding with the Beenleigh Tennis Club over the lucrative lease for the council courts since 2008.

Club Beenleigh took the lease in 2018 after a protracted and hostile tendering process, which ended Beenleigh Tennis Club’s 45 years at the courts.

That rivalry sparked again this month, when the family-owned club called on the council to investigate the sacking of coach Mike Newell and the associated claim by Club Beenleigh that it could no longer afford to pay him a salary, believed to be more than $100,000.

The council leasing deal required the winning club to guarantee it would manage and maintain the tennis courts, provide toilet facilities and a qualified coach.

Mr Newell, who is seeking legal advice about his sacking, was hired in December 2018 after he promised Club Beenleigh he would coach and manage the courts.

“Without me, Club Beenleigh would never have been given the lease from the council which stipulated it required a qualified coach and wanted the tennis courts to be viable financially,” he said.

“I believe there is a conflict of interest between Club Beenleigh’s sports club, its restaurant, bar, pokies and the tennis centre.

“Terminating my employment shows they are prioritising revenue for their club over the best interests of the tennis clientele, the community and ratepayers.”

Mike Newell coaches a class at the Beenleigh tennis centre.

Mr Newell said for his first year as coach there were expected loses as all the tennis players left with the previous club.

“But we got a federal government election grant of $90,000 from Bert van Manen and a further $35,000 gaming grant.”

Beenleigh Tennis Club president Scott Goffage called on the council to investigate and said Club Beenleigh had failed to increase tennis patronage, and promises of building the centre as a major state tennis hub had flopped.

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Mr Goffage said it was a concern for the community that Club Beenleigh could not afford to keep a fully-accredited coach and had been using two teenagers as coaches while charging up to $80 an hour for lessons.

“The new council should interview the representatives of both parties (Club Beenleigh and Beenleigh Tennis Club) to the lease application process, to determine if our club has a genuine grievance and the system delivered a flawed outcome,” he said.

“If this is the case, the council should put in place the appropriate remedial action to return leasing rights for the tennis complex to the organisation that will best support this iconic community club.”

Club Beenleigh and Logan mayor Darren Power were also contacted but refused to respond to questions about the tennis courts and the lease.

Logan City Council said questions should be directed to the board and management of Club Beenleigh as the sacking was an operational matter.

Council has promised to give financial support to the city’s sporting clubs during the coronavirus by paying their water bills.