The Olympic Park and Meadowbank tennis facilities are City of Ryde community assets, and both currently include eight synthetic grass tennis courts. Through a competitive tendering process, Council has appointed Sydney Sports Management Group (SSMG) who has partnered with Voyager Tennis (VT) to operate the facilities as part of a lease arrangement.
SSMG and Voyager are experienced organisations that operate across multiple local government authorities throughout Sydney and already deliver tangible community outcomes within the City of Ryde including the facilitation of 12 school programs. VT has provided tennis programming over nine years at both the Next Generation Club and Olympic Park Tennis. SSMG has operated Tennis World Ryde (20 years) and North Ryde Fitness + Aquatic (three years) – 2020 Winner Northern Districts Fitness Business.
SSMG and VT are committed to providing accessible programs and facilities for all as evidenced through the management of their existing facilities including Special Olympic Tennis and NOVA disability employment partnership at Tennis World North Ryde. They will also be launching the SMASH Mental Health Program in partnership with Collective Leisure.
Richard Price, SSMG’s Chief Executive and Macquarie Park Ryde Business Board Member, said: “SSMG and Voyager are delighted to be awarded the contract and look forward to continuing to partner with the City of Ryde, Tennis NSW and deepen our relationships with local schools. We will work collaboratively with the City of Ryde in the delivery of Council’s Sport and Recreation Strategy. This will be achieved by investing capital in these important community assets to ensure they meet the community’s expectations for many years to come.
“We acknowledge the significant volunteer efforts and the 40-plus year legacy the North Western Suburbs Tennis Association (NWSTA) has created. In 2018 SSMG successfully transitioned the Heffron Park Tennis Centre and collaborated closely with the Eastern Suburbs Tennis Association to ensure their competitions remained intact and this is our intent with the NWSTA. We will also endeavor to extend these competitions to our Tennis World facility.”
Ryan Henry Managing, Director VT, said: “We will be looking to provide a smooth transition for the local community and ensure the continuation of existing services. The upgraded facilities will provide a range of options including casual bookings as well as programmed activities such as HotShots (Tennis Australia), Cardio Tennis (Tennis Australia), organised social play, evening competition, private lessons, group lessons, and table tennis.
Scott Riley, Managing Director SSMG and former touring professional stated: “Our Group will be partnering with the City of Ryde to invest a significant amount of capital in the facilities to repurpose these valuable community assets, including a complete resurface of all existing courts and LED lighting. We will also be able to provide NWSTA competition access to Tennis World when the courts get resurfaced. In addition, the NSBC Group will continue to provide subsidised transports for school sport and camps throughout Ryde.
Media enquiries:
For more information on both companies visit Sydney Sports Management Group or Voyager Tennis Academy websites:
https://voyagertennis.com/
https://www.ssmgroup.com.au/
Ryan Henry – 0435868800 | ryan@voyagertennis.com
Richard Price – 0447553159 | richardprice@ssmgroup.com.a