Construction Phase of the Sydney Real Tennis Court is Now Underway
Sydney Real Tennis at the Cheltenham Recreation Club has reached another exciting milestone: construction of the Real Tennis court has commenced, with the game set to return to the harbour city by the end of 2024.
Michael Fitzgerald, President, Sydney Real Tennis Cheltenham, has announced that construction of the Real Tennis court has officially begun. He shared the news along with a photo of a small group from the organising committee celebrating on site as the construction fences were installed.
“We are… very privileged to have the support of Chris Ronaldson, who along with Maggie Henderson-Tew, will be helping set up the new court,” Michael says. “Many of you will know Chris well. He is not only the first man to win a Real Tennis Grand Slam and the longest serving professional, but he has also been instrumental in the continuing success of our game through the establishment of new clubs or revitalisation of existing clubs. Chris has very kindly volunteered to kick things off and help us recruit the first permanent professional for Sydney Real Tennis.”
Tennis in Sydney will be celebrated with a full calendar of events in 2025, with the highlights being a grand opening, gala event, memorabilia auction and inaugural tournament currently known as The Easter Bilby, which will run from 11th April – 21st April 2025.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the very generous support from the broader Real Tennis community whose sponsorship and guidance has helped make this tennis dream a reality,” Michael shares. “This includes many people who have made very generous donations, and others who have supported by signing up as early members of the new Club. We have raised sufficient funds to build our court, but there is still more work to be done to complete the full design including raising funds for some of the important internal fixtures. We would very gratefully welcome anyone who is able to make a financial contribution as we still need to raise a further $150,000.”
He continues, “We are calling on all Sydneysiders to sign up as members of the CRC Real Tennis Section, so if you haven't done so already, now is the time to put your name down for a discounted six month membership commencing 1st July 2024. This will guarantee your place as an inaugural member of the Club at a significant discount on regular membership rates, and provide access to the court as soon as it is available. It will also provide much needed working capital to get us started once the court is finished.”
Please visit Sydney Real Tennis’ membership site for further details on how to apply, or contact the club’s Membership Secretary, Simon Lewi (simonmlewi@gmail.com), if you have any questions.
And for more information about Sydney's journey to building its Real Tennis court, check out the T&RA's previous coverage here and here.
