Planning for tennis in your Local Government Area A resource from Tennis Australia Part 1 July 2016
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This resource forms part of Tennis Australia's Local Government Engagement Program. It is an easy to use, template style document that once completed will provide local governments with a tennis facility and participation plan that aligns with both the strategic directions of local government and the strategic directions of Tennis Australia and the relevant State or Territory Member Association. The resource is provided in two parts: Part 1: Introduction to the resource including why and how to use it. Part 2: Tennis Facility and Participation Plan template for reference and completion. This part of the document will be provided to local governments and/or consultants at an agreed time prior to the commencement of work. The resource is designed to facilitate efficient proactive planning within local governments and will be provided to local governments who partner with Tennis in its development and implementation. The resource has been a collaborative development between Tennis Australia and insideedge Sport and Leisure Planning. BACKGROUND Local governments around Australia are the key stakeholder in the development, renewal and management of tennis facilities. This is predominantly because local governments own or manage in excess of 85 per cent of the tennis facilities in Australia. In acknowledgement of this, and to better service our key stakeholder, Tennis Australia now has a dedicated Local Government Team which consists of staff with significant experience in the local government sector. The key function of this team is to facilitate the development of solid, mutually beneficial relationships between Tennis (Tennis Australia and its State and Territory Member Associations) and local governments around Australia. In a proactive approach to improving collaboration and measurable outcomes between tennis and local government, Tennis Australia has developed the National Local Government Engagement Program. As part of this program, Tennis is providing Planning for tennis in your Local Government Area: A resource from Tennis Australia, to local governments as an incentive for councils to plan for the use, development, maintenance, renewal and effective management of tennis facilities. Good quality, well managed facilities are essential to the development of tennis in Australia and a major factor in influencing participant experiences. Tennis understands and appreciates that local governments are key contributors to this. We understand that developing a plan for tennis can be time consuming and expensive and that not every local government is resourced to do this. At the same time, Tennis is working hard to ensure that quality tennis facilities are available to all community members Australia wide.
We also acknowledge that while developing a template facilitates a consistent approach to planning, every local government is unique in terms of the resources they have available and the community they serve. To address this, Tennis will also provide advice and assistance tailored to local needs within each Local Government Area. Local governments who, through the development of a local Tennis Facility and Participation Plan (using Part 2 of this resource), demonstrate alignment with Tennis Australia s national strategic direction for tennis facilities will receive a range of benefits, including: Priority guidance and advice regarding suitable venue management options, infrastructure planning and technical facility assistance. Written support for local governments applying for government or philanthropic grants for tennis facility development or renewal. Priority access to State and Territory Member Association staff and team resources to assist in facilitating planning, programming and promotional activities for tennis in your local area. Priority financial and strategic support from both Tennis Australia and their Member Association, including priority access to the National Court Rebate program. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT To ensure the mutual objectives of Tennis Australia and local government are reached, this resource has been built on three fundamental principles. Engagement: Tennis Australia has identified the need to improve communication with local government to ensure more frequent engagement and support is available, in order to drive participation and venue sustainability. Collaboration: It is essential that Tennis Australia and local government regularly collaborate on the development of tennis and sport strategies to create a joint vision on future projects and opportunities. Developing partnerships and venues: Partnership between Tennis Australia and local government is vital to ensure the development and renewal of tennis venues and their management and programs across Australia are considered. A collaborative approach from local, state and national communities is required to ensure that Australian tennis continues to prosper. Tennis Australia is steering this consolidated approach with full support of State and Territory MAs and envisages commitment from local government to ensure the key objectives of this framework are delivered. In support of this commitment and the establishment of consistent themes to engagement, collaboration and partnerships, Tennis Australia has adopted its Four Pillars to Successful Tennis Venues. These Four Pillars include accessibility, community benefit, sustainability and accountability, with each pillar being strongly represented within the template provided as Part 2 of this resource.
A TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDISED APPROACH Tennis Australia has recognised great benefits in national consistency across a range of initiatives, including programs such as ANZ Tennis Hot Shots, the National Court Rebate program and coach membership and accreditation programs. Local governments involved in the provision and operation of tennis facilities should also be provided the same opportunities to benefit from a more standardised approach to tennis venue planning and management, creating consistent industry messages and the opportunity to work collaboratively with local, state and national tennis community stakeholders. To meet this objective, Tennis Australia has developed a standardised Tennis Facility and Participation Planning Template (Part 2 of this document) to drive local government, with support from Tennis, to scope, research and prepare aligned tennis strategies that focus on driving participation growth, increasing management effectiveness and securing a sustainable future for new, improved and planned tennis venues. The recommended approaches, references made and examples used in this template are provided as a guide. Local government and stakeholders should also consider unique local requirements, planning standards, environments and characteristics when using the template to develop local strategies. It is important for all elements of the template to be read and implemented in conjunction with existing local, state and federal government legislative requirements, policy, planning and funding guidelines, tennis facility requirements and associated standards, as well as end-user preferences to ensure tennis venues are maximised for sport, recreation and community benefit. The following table provides an overview of the benefits of using this resource in conjunction with Tennis Australia and your State or Territory Member Association. Key stakeholders Local government Tennis clubs, venue managers, coaches and competition providers Benefits of using the framework and template Inform local policy, strategy and municipal planning Integrate tennis community objectives into local planning and policy Guide venue, site and planning projects and budgets Provide strategic justification for investment in tennis by council and external funders Highlight the need and benefits of community tennis Engage with the all levels of the national tennis community Understanding assets within your LGA including schools Better understand participants, their needs and local markets Enhance understanding of building welcoming environments Inform future facility development and funding opportunities Align venue management with tennis and government principles Align tennis development objectives with local government policy
COMPLETING THE TEMPLATE Local governments, Tennis Member Associations and Tennis Australia all have important roles in working collaboratively to complete this template. To ensure an efficient, effective and rewarding strategy development process Tennis Australia has recommended the organisation best suited to completing each part of this template, however we understand that each local government is different as such the table below is a guide only and it can be tailored to suit each situation. To provide as much assistance to local governments as possible, Tennis Member Associations can coordinate the input of the data collected by the relevant organisation, and can bring the document to a daft state, however this approach is flexible and can be agreed upon prior to commencement of planning. The draft document will then be provided to local governments for review, discussion and to enable all relevant stakeholders to collaboratively make recommendations. It is anticipated the strategy development process should take approximately 90 days. At the end of the process each local government will have a set of evidence based, collaboratively developed recommendations to guide the sustainable delivery of tennis locally. Recommended responsibilities for template completion. Lead organisation Section 1: Executive summary Council Section 2: Strategy background 2.1 About this document Council 2.2 Project background Council and MA 2.3 Project objectives Council, MA and TA Section 3: Strategic analysis 3.1 Strategic drivers for tennis Council 3.1.1 Tennis Australia Complete 3.1.2 Member Association MA 3.1.3 Local Government Council Plan Council 3.1.4 Other local government documents Council 3.2 Local community context Council 3.2.1 Age analysis Council 3.2.2 Gender analysis Council 3.2.3 Demographic analysis Council 3.3 Tennis participation MA and Council 3.4 Tennis programs MA and Council 3.5 Tennis infrastructure MA and Council 3.6 Tennis venue management and occupancy MA and Council 3.7 Stakeholder consultation MA, TA and Council Section 4: Recommendations 4.1 Priorities for developing tennis MA, TA and Council 4.2 Turning priorities into actions Council and MA 4.3 Monitoring, measuring and evaluating Council
To guide the use of the template, Tennis Australia has developed the following guidelines, to be agreed upon to prior to commencing the strategy development process. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WILL: The roles and responsibilities for completing the template, either as described above or identified by each participating organisation Develop the strategy including subsequent recommendations in full collaboration with the relevant Member Association and Tennis Australia Provide the information requested throughout the document as accurately as possible or make reasonable attempts to obtain the information that council does not have at hand. Not forward the template or accompanying tools to another local government. In the case where another local government requests the template or tools from you that you refer them to directly to Tennis Australia s Local Government Projects Coordinator Karoline Curtis 03 9914 4355 or kcurtis@tennis.com.au. This is to ensure that Tennis can honor the commitment to support local governments in the development of the strategies and to ensure the process remains mutually beneficial to the strategic direction of both the local government and tennis. MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS WILL: The roles and responsibilities for completing the template, either as described above or identified by each participating organisation Develop the strategy including subsequent recommendations in full collaboration with the relevant local government and Tennis Australia Coordinate the input of information to bring the document to a draft state. WHAT INFORMATION WILL THIS REPORT INCLUDE? The following is the core information needed to include to provide you with a good quality, basic plan for tennis: Your council s strategic drivers for tennis Local community context including basic demographic data Tennis participation rates in your Local Government Area (LGA) Tennis programs delivered in your LGA Tennis infrastructure in your LGA including both existing and planned Tennis venue management and occupancy arrangements for clubs in your LGA Stakeholder consultation including but not limited to clubs, operators and coaches Priorities for developing tennis Action plan Monitoring and evaluation process.
The following elements, which Tennis can assist with will provide added value to your plan and will help guide decisions about tennis in your Local Government Area: Detailed tennis facility and infrastructure audits Asset management plan / capital work schedule GIS mapping of facilities, participation catchments and population indicators Lease development or restructure Management transition plans Club-Coach contract development RESOURCES The following resources and references are available to assist stakeholders in preparing a local plan for tennis. 1. Tennis 2020, Facility development framework for Australian tennis (2012) 2. Local Government Tennis Facility and Participation Planning Template (Part 2 of this document to be provided once the planning process commences) 3. Local Government Tennis Facility and Participation Planning MS Excel Models (Part 2 of this document to be provided once the planning process commences) 4. Tennis Australia Four Pillars Assessment Tool