Nothing beats starting the New Year with some positive developments and that’s exactly how Running Racquets Tennis Club in Roshnee, Vereeniging, began 2016 thanks to their brand new tennis court upgrades sponsored by the Gauteng Gambling Board in partnership with the Gauteng Sports Confederation.
With the Australian Open currently underway potential tennis players in the community can now take the skills from what they’ve been watching on television onto the newly renovated courts that can accommodate up to 12 people at a time.
Under the GSC facility upgrade programme some 16 projects – including the revamping of facilities for football; netball, squash, baseball, tennis, boxing – around Gauteng have been identified and are at various stages of completion.
The Running Racquets club have managed to raise funds to resurface and upgrade two of their six courts so far. Now with the help of the Gauteng Sports Confederation (GSC) and Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) Programme they have received a brand new third court for free.
Running Racquets Manager Faiyaz Dasoo said the club was ecstatic with the help from the GSC programme. “While it has taken much hard work to get us to this level this donation will certainly make it much easier to improve our club. We are very grateful for this assistance and see this as not only an asset for all of our players and participants but for the wider community as well,” he said.
“We love the sport in this part of the world and now we can offer more young people an opportunity to take part and in our small way make a difference in our community,” he said.
Gauteng Sports Confederation President Barry Hendricks said it was touching to see just what a difference one court could make.
“This donation could be a game-changer to this club and the community in general. Facilities are extremely important for ensuring participation in sport and in fostering a culture of exercise, not to mention the boost it is for those who want to play competitively. We as the GSC and GGB partnership are extremely proud of being able to assist this incredible community.”
Hendricks said it took about four weeks to build the court and upgrade the fencing and they were impressed with the final product.
“We’re really pleased now that this gift to Running Racquets and it gives us the opportunity to contribute to enhancing the standard in previously disadvantaged communities,” he said.
The court is open for business and the club intends to one day build a club house to further enhance its facilities.
Picture Captions: Before and After photos of a tennis court at the Running Racquets Tennis Club in Roshnee, Vereeniging. The club benefitted from a donation by the Gauteng Gambling Board and Gauteng Sports Confederation facility upgrade programme. Pictures: Gauteng Sports Confederation.
