Five Queensland state schools will score new and improved tennis courts under the Palaszczuk Government's game-changing Tennis in State Schools initiative (TISSI).
Education Minister Grace Grace announced the first schools successful in receiving funding in Round 1 of the program, ranging from Far North Queensland down to the Gold Coast.
"Today I am excited to announce the names of the five state schools to benefit from our three-year, $1.5 million initiative to get more students to play tennis," Ms Grace said.
"This fantastic program will include new courts, improvements to existing courts, and repairs of existing tennis facilities.
"These facilities will also be available for the wider community to use, with Tennis Queensland providing insurance cover for the facilities if the school is affiliated with it.
"We are working on the principle that if you provide the right facilities, young people will want to play tennis."
The successful schools in Round 1 are:
- Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School
- Mackay State High School
- Mossman State School
- Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School
- Wellers Hill State School
Ms Grace said the initiative was all about encouraging more students to get active.
"We want more students to discover a passion for the game of tennis and to watch the effect these new facilities will have on participation rates across Queensland," she said.
"With the Australian Open kicking off yesterday, we hope this announcement will further inspire students to pick up a racquet."
TISSI is a collaborative agreement between Tennis Queensland, with the support of Tennis Australia, and the Department of Education in a 'third-share' funding basis.
Tennis Queensland Chief Executive Mark Handley said the program will have a positive impact on the health of the wider community.
"TISSI is about using tennis as a vehicle to support a healthy, active and vibrant school community. We know improved facilities leads to more people wanting to play sport and that includes students, teachers, parents and carers," Mr Handley said.
"Tennis is a sport for life so by creating facilities of a higher standard in schools, we are giving our young players the chance to connect with a positive passion that will see them throughout their years."
Applications for the next round of TISSI are now open, with submissions closing at the end of term 1, 2020.
