About Us

Waverley Tennis vision is to be a valued and sustainable Tennis Association that runs competitive local and representative tennis leagues, events and opportunities for beginner to high performance players of all ages, and that is run, developed and governed by its members for its members.

We organise local competition leagues, events and development opportunities for member clubs and their junior and senior players, support and promote the growth, development and enjoyment of tennis in the local community and work collaboratively and cooperatively with like-minded organisations to this end.

Local competition leagues for clubs include

Junior weekend competition leagues

Senior weekend competition leagues

Night tennis competition leagues

Mid week men's competition leagues

Mid week ladies competition leagues

Hotshots leagues

Junior development pathways include

Junior development squads

Representative tennis teams:

Tennis VIC Associations Junior League

Inter Association events

Player awards

Organised junior development trips

Tennis Events include

Annual hosting of the Daphne Fancutt Shield Shared hosting of the Pat Pearce Memorial Shield

Management of Melbourne Flex Leagues for UTR

Hosting of 14 and under-age group for the Victoria Cup Tennis Carnival

Running Tennis Australia junior and senior sanctioned events

Our History

The Waverley and District Tennis Association Incorporated, trading as Waverley Tennis, was founded in July 1979 when a number of tennis clubs in the south eastern suburbs, then competing in the Eastern Metropolitan Region Lawn Tennis Association (EMRLTA), met at the old Waverley Council building in Springvale Road, Glen Waverley, to form the Waverley and District Tennis Association Incorporated. On that occasion, a dedicated Steering Committee presented to some 28 tennis clubs a proposal to form a new Tennis Association, with the mutual blessing of the Eastern Metropolitan Region Tennis Lawn Association (EMRLTA), and from that time, Waverley Tennis was launched under the leadership of Russ Nicholls as President and Mark Collins as Association Secretary. A strong and dedicated Committee of Management (and Sub-Committees) has maintained the status of Waverley Tennis since those very early days.

In 2019 Waverley Tennis celebrated its 40th Anniversary. In the time since its foundation it has grown to over 110 Affiliates, with many other tennis clubs now merged or closed down being affiliated with Waverley Tennis at some point in the past.

Waverley Tennis offers activities in all facets of the game of tennis, i.e. Weekend Junior and Senior inter-club matchplay (Saturdays and Sundays), Mid-Week Ladies' tennis (via the Mid-Week Ladies' Division), Mid-Week Men's tennis, Night Tennis inter-club matchplay, Waverley Tennis Hot Shots Match Play inter-club competition formatted for beginner players and their parents, Waverley Tennis Junior Development Squad Program (to complement individual player coaching), and convenes a number of Tennis Australia sanctioned Tennis Australia Australian Money Tournaments (AMT's) and Junior Tournaments (JT's) annually.

Waverley Tennis also convenes and hosts a number of prestigious junior Tennis Carnivals throughout each calendar year namely, the Daphne Fancutt Junior Shield and the Pat Pearce Memorial Carnival (the latter in turn with 3 other Melbourne Metropolitan Tennis Associations).

A strong emphasis of Waverley Tennis has been (and remains) junior player development and many talented junior players have progressed through the ranks to higher levels in their tennis careers. Waverley Tennis' most prestigious annual Awards are its Waverley Tennis Junior Player of the Year Awards (Male and Female) and past winners of these Awards have gone onto represent themselves most admirably in senior ranks, nationally and internationally.

Facilities

Since 2001 the lease for Doveton Tennis Club (DTC) within the City of Casey has been under the auspices of Waverley Tennis. At the time the Association took over the lease DTC was facing closure. The Club has run with a committee of management and been financially supported by the Association. At the same time, Casey Council has invested in the club facilities which have been upgraded beyond recognition since Waverley took over the lease.

Having courts and clubrooms has provided Waverley Tennis with an excellent base upon which to conduct a number of its activities, including the grand finals of its Weekend Summer and Winter Seasons, the grand finals of its Mid-Week Ladies' and Mid-Week Men's competitions, its Junior Development Squad Program, its tournaments, and a general meeting place for its Committee of Management and a recreation premises for social activities conducted from time to time.

In 2025 DTC updated its club constitution to the model rules and will be the new lease-holder when Casey Council finalises leases with all its tennis clubs. Waverley Tennis has an annual budget with DTC and from the financial year 2025/26 will pay DTC for services used. This will include court hire and light use for Association events and activities, plus an amount as a contribution to DTC operating costs for the Association's use of the club facilities for events, finals, meetings, storage and other miscellaneous expenses such as insurance.

The clubrooms and tennis courts at DTC are fully maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers who service the courts on a weekly basis and we will work collaboratively with them to ensure a successful transition to becoming a viable and sustainable stand-alone tennis club.