Call to action: parents petition for beloved tennis coaches to stay
Parents are calling for a pair of popular tennis coaches to bring back lessons to courts in Ascot Vale. A petition in support of Mark Smyth and George Georgopoulos has garnered more than 100 signatures. And this is what they need to come back.
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Parents are calling for the return of two beloved tennis coaches at an Ascot Vale tennis court.
More than a hundred people have signed a petition for Mark Smyth and George Georgopoulos to continue teaching at the Riverside tennis courts.
The coaches had run lessons at the courts for years but lost a contract with new club Ascot Vale Tennis Club last month due to restructuring.
They said they’d been priced out of continuing private lessons due to skyrocketing hire fees that had gone up more than 400 per cent.
The duo previously paid $6 per hour to hire the courts to conduct their lessons, which has been bumped up to $32 during peak times since the Moonee Valley Council took over management of the site.
The Ascot Vale Tennis Club, which has been in operation for four months, hired the pair as head coaches on an interim arrangement for term 3.
But the pair were not kept on when the club appointed a new head coach.
Prior to that, the facility was managed by Leisure Management Services, through which the pair were employed.
The two coaches run lessons out of Buckley Park, but want to return to Riverside as private coaches.
Parent Tina Lynch, who started the petition, said she pulled her three children from the Riverside program after the coaches left.
She said her children loved lessons with the pair but the Essendon location was too tough to get too.
“We don’t have the capability to take the kids to Buckley Park where George and Mark are now coaching from,” she said.
Mr Smyth said he had tried to negotiate a fairer rate with the council to no avail.
“It’s a real shame, I had 100 students and now I have 70 because a lot stayed at Riverside for the logistics of it,” he said.
“At the end of the day the kids and families are the ones getting affected.”
Mr Georgopoulos said all the pair wanted was a reasonable rate.
“It’s disappointing to do everything for the club and be treated that way, it’s unfair that we can’t continue to be there,” he said.
Moonee Valley Council said the $6 rate the coaches paid previously was a private arrangement between them and the tennis club.
The council would not answer whether they would consider a discounted arrangement for the pair following the community backlash and petition.
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Moonee Valley Mayor Narelle Sharpe said since taking over operation of the courts, the council had brought them in line with its community facilities hiring rates to allow fair access for everyone.
Ascot Vale Tennis Club president Rose Micallef said the two coaches were considered for employment with the club after their contract ended but were unsuccessful.
She said no coaches were “let go” by the club, as they only had a temporary arrangement with the previous managing leisure group until the end of term 3.