ronan fagan
A momentous sporting occasion for Athlone Tennis Club, the first “new balls please” were aced on the courts of their new location on Friday last, December 15.
Comprising a modular clubhouse, three adult size clay courts and three children’s sized courts, the club’s new location adjacent to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre is the realisation of an ambition which started in 2015 and aims to continue growth of the game within the Midlands region.
Speaking to the Athlone Advertiser, Pat Conway, a member of the Athlone Tennis Club development committee, stated that the move to new state-of-the-art surroundings marked a momentous occasion for the progressive club.
“We opened for play at our new home on Friday, December 15. The construction of three adult size clay courts, three children’s sized courts and a modular clubhouse marks Phase One of this ambitious project, initial thoughts for which commenced in 2015,” Pat said.
The substantial investment has been funded to date courtesy of grants from LEADER, the government’s Sports Capital Programme and Westmeath County Council, while €120,000 was also raised through a membership bond scheme which assisted greatly with project progress.
“To have reached this stage of the project is a truly proud moment for our club and we hope to advance the next phase of our development in due course with the introduction of indoor tennis to enable the game to be played all through the year,” Pat added.
The construction of indoor tennis courts under a dome will certainly grow the game in Athlone and the wider Midlands region, Pat confirming to the Athlone Advertiser that the club had made an application for additional funding in this regard, news of which should be known in March or April 2024.
The club have agreed a 50 year lease with Westmeath County Council for their new sporting surrounds, the aim being to grow the existing membership of approximately 300, the official opening of the new state-of-the-art facilities in mid-January certain to improve upon that figure.
In conjunction with Tennis Ireland, the club have engaged in numerous projects to help grow the game, coaches visiting local schools to conduct a 10 week programme being one such initiative.
Open nights are also a core feature of the club’s ethos and having departed their former home at Athlone GAA for pastures new, the future certainly looks ace for Athlone Tennis Club as they adapt to their new state-of-the-art playing surrounds.
