Court Talk

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NSTAis still waiting for legal judgement
from the Supreme Court on the Talus
Street Tennis Facility. You may recall this
battle has now gone into its 5th year as
we wait for the ruling on a private operator
being allowed to carry out their business
on Crown Land. It went to the Supreme
Court on Nov 23, 2015 and we are now
waiting for the ruling on this matter. If this
ruling was in favour of this being the case
then it would have a much wider concern
for many businesses and communities’
right around NSW. It would include many
more tennis courts, golf clubs, surf clubs,
caravan parks and the list goes on where
many commercial operations happen on
Crown Land. So you can see that this
ruling has far more issues than just Talus
St, but it is not good being the test case
for such an important matter.
This is still taking our focus away
from what our main business is and that
is making sure we are doing the best for
tennis within our boundaries. So what
the NSTA Committee has done is to put
together a young group of enthusiastic
tennis people to look at all our comps and
tournaments’ to see where and what we
need to do to improve or change what we
are doing. If we look at our comps and
tournaments as our product range where
some are doing well and other are not
doing so well. Doing it with a younger
group of people has many advances
as they do things in a different way in
communicating and what young people
are looking for, its younger people who
are going to take over in the next few
years so we need to have them lead the
way, otherwise we will die on the vine as
many other associations have done over
the past 10 to 20 yrs. We still need to
cater for the more senior people playing
but have a firm vision for the future of
tennis on the North Shore.
NSTA is still very lucky to have young
people who want to help in developing
ideas and opportunities to improve
things. Within the group are 3 young
members of the NSTA Committee, who
have professional backgrounds and
are business savvy with good tennis
backgrounds, then we have 2 other tennis
players who bring marketing and different
energy to the group. Two members have
had both ATP and WTA rankings, so they
bring a broader thinking to the group.
The group will be Chaired by NSTA Vice
–President Luca Lavermicocca, with the
Joel Palmer, Brodie Stewart, Sophie
Twist and Bryanne Crabb. They are not
going to create miracles but they need
to look at each product, make some
recommendations and work to stop the
slide that has been happening for the
last 5 to 10 yrs., this may mean looking
at particular products that are not cost
positive.
The North Shore Open (NSO) is one
example inwhat youngpeople canachieve
when they are given the opportunity at
developing something and that something
has developed into a great success.
The NSO in its 6th year was played
over the Easter break and proved
the reason for moving it from a late
December tournament where it run into
Christmas and the Aust Open Shot-outs
in Melb. It took many months of negations
with Tennis Australia to convince them
that Easter would see an even bigger
tournament and was the case. With
247 players entered the 2016 Guardian
Funerals North Shore Open and certainly
our most successful. Not only a record
number for the Platinum Tournament but
also some very good international players
participates, including the 2 lady finalists’;
Katy Dunne from the UK and Sherazad
Reix from France with Katy getting the
win. In the Men’s Final Max Purcell won in
a good tuff match against Jake Delaney,
both local Aussie boys. I am sure you
are going to read allot more within the
newsletter about the NSO. One of the
changes made with the NSO was the
Prize money. As you may know it was
a 32 draw in both the Mens and Ladies,
with quals up to 124 players. Now they
have to play off for the final 4 places in the
Mens and Ladies Main Draw. We decided
to give each of the 4 winners in both Mens
and Ladies $150 for achieving that, they
could have played up to 4 matches to get
to that point, so it was well deserved. So
the NSOwill remain to be played at Easter,
so put it in your diary for 2017 as there is
always some great tennis and we thank
our Sponsors for their support in making
this event in what it is. Guarding Funerals
who are the Naming Right Sponsor and
Belle Property Lane Cove for the Players
Party on the Sat evening.
Also I would like to introduce the NSTA
Committee who form the strategies for
what happens during the many comps,
tournaments, challenges and round
robins during the year. If you feel you
have an idea then these are the people
you should be passing that idea onto,
so it can be presented to the committee
and discussed. Please do not hold back,
it does not matter if idea is big or small,
everything needs to start somewhere.
NSTA Committee of Management
President: Terry Stewart
Vice Presidents: Sue Woodward, Luca
Lavermicocca and Joel Palmer.
General Secretary: Ric Howard
Treasurer: Rick Anderson
Committee of Management: Carol
Langsford, Jim Swan, Brodie Stewart
NSTA Administrator: Sue Delmege
Yours in Tennis,
Terry Stewart
President NSTA
visit: www.nsta
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