Plan to build 8000-seat roofed stadium at Kooyong Tennis Club

An 8000-seat roofed stadium and return of the Kooyong Classic is being pushed to revitalise the troubled-plagued Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

An 8000-seat roofed stadium and return of the Kooyong Classic is being pushed at Melbourne’s trouble-plagued Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

An 8000-seat roofed stadium and return of the Kooyong Classic is being pushed at Melbourne’s trouble-plagued Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

Members of the prestigious club are voting this week in a hotly contested board election.

The Glenferrie Rd tennis facility made headlines earlier this year over a mysterious $2 million revenue loss.

A masterplan concept for a roof over the historic centre court is among a series of proposals being put to members by would-be directors.

The roofed stadium would also allow Kooyong to host live music.

A roofed stadium and increased capacity would allow Kooyong to again host live music shows and other sporting events.

Voting in the election closes next week.

The Kooyong Classic, an Australian Open warm-up event used by tennis greats including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, will not go ahead next year to the anger of many members.

Kooyong was home to the Australian Open from 1972 to 1987 before shifting to Melbourne Park.

The grand proposals for the club come amid a turbulent period for the club, which has lost multiple high-ranking members.

In February long-term chief executive Chris Brown stood down and newly-appointed club president James Macmillan also resigned, while deciding to stay on as a board member.

Weeks after the prestigious club was forced to call in external auditors over the missing $2.5m discovered in 2023, it was also damaged in a fire.

Staff and members were evacuated when fire engulfed the historic club last December. Picture: Vision Australia

In April the Herald Sun revealed claims from the disgruntled Kooyong for Members group that the tennis club had mind-blowing catering expenses which included $800,000 for Wagyu beef.

The group, which comprises influential Kooyong members, said they gained the information when they met the club’s board to discuss concerns about the handling of the recent financial scandal.

“The board also shared the findings that: i) the club paid in the order of $800,000 for Wagyu beef in the 2023 financial year (August 2022-July 2023) and; ii) at one stage the club was employing 21 chefs,” the Kooyong for Members letter said.

Kooyong president Darren O’Loughlin sent a letter in response, saying the board recognised the need for “substantial change and improvement in the operational aspects of the business.”

“Since being advised in September 2023 of the extent of the financial loss, the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club Board has had to confront the fact that not all the necessary checks and balances were in place to promptly identify inadequate financial management practices,” O’Loughlin said.