Narrogin Tennis Club ready for the 2023/24 season with newly resurfaced synthetic turf courts

The resurfacing of four of the Narrogin Tennis Club’s synthetic turf courts has been completed just in time for the start of the 2023/24 season that gets begins on October 15.

A project two years in the making, the Clayton Road courts are an asset to the town, club president Dale Woodruff said.

“We really see the tennis club as providing a facility for the community and making sure that Narrogin is seen as a desirable place to live,” he said.

“Sport in country towns is absolutely critical, it’s a big part of why people are here and what keeps people here.”

Woodruff said that the project was made possible through the hard work of the club and volunteers with support from the Shire of Narrogin.

“The club has been saving for years with the view of having to replace the courts but we couldn’t have done it without the Shire’s significant contribution,” he said.

“Josh Wilkie has kids that play for the club and he’s also been instrumental in getting the new courts done.

“It’s a huge job but Josh really stepped up with all his machinery and know-how.”

With four hardcourts available for use alongside the resurfaced turf courts, plans to rejuvenate the remaining two synthetic surfaces in the future and new LED lighting, the Narrogin club serves the Wheatbelt South as a regional centre.

“Between social tennis taking place on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday mornings, Twilight Pennants on Wednesday nights and school groups the courts get a lot of use,” Woodruff said.

The next project on the club’s agenda is to develop an online booking system for court hire.

“People that are going through town or staying at the caravan park will be able to go online, pay online, get a key code and just turn up to access the courts,” Woodruff said.

“We’re trying to gear ourselves up to offer that facility so that we can hopefully see a lot of different people playing and having a bit of a hit.”

October 22 will be the official opening of the newly resurfaced courts and the club’s open day.

“We’ll invite sponsors and the shire and other people along who have been significant to the club along to recognise the next step in the club’s history,” Woodruff said.

“It’ll start at 3pm and anyone can come and play some tennis.

“It’s such a good family sport, anyone, particularly with young kids, should come along and have a hit and see that it’s not a super competitive environment, it’s really designed to get people together and create a good community atmosphere.”