Tennis West is Western Australia’s governing body for tennis, and manages all aspects of the sport, from elite player development, to growing participation within the affiliated club network and community.

Tennis West is headquartered at the State Tennis Centre on the Burswood Peninsula, with affiliated bodies located as far north as Kununurra, south as Albany and as far inland as Kalgoorlie.

VISION STATEMENT
Shaping the future of tennis in the West

PURPOSE
To lead, grow and support tennis across Western Australia – creating opportunities for all to connect, play and thrive.

TEAM VALUES
Teamwork, Respect, Integrity, Boldness, Excellence

HERITAGE

Tennis in Western Australia had its beginnings in the family homestead environment in both metropolitan and country areas. With the gold rushes in the last decade of the nineteenth century came the growth of tennis clubs. After two unsuccessful attempts a tennis association was established to arrange inter-club competition and determine the status of tournaments.

On 17 April 1903, a motion was passed ‘that an Association be formed to be called the Lawn Tennis Association of Western Australia (LTAWA)’. The new LTAWA then confirmed its decision, on 14 October 1904, to join the Australasian Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA).

It was in 1912 that the name Western Australian Lawn Tennis Association (WALTA) was adopted. In the 1990s, in keeping with a move by the National body to use the trading name Tennis Australia, the acronym WALTA was cast aside for Tennis West.

During the 1980s, the prospect of the Association having its own offices and tennis complex always appeared to be just around the corner. On 20 September 1994, the new State Tennis Centre was officially launched on the Burswood Peninsula.

From uncertain beginnings, with the strains of the war and the division between amateurs and professionals, the Association has grown from a few small clubs conducting winter pennant tennis to administering one of the state’s major sports.

[Reference: Phillips, Harry (1995) Tennis West: A History of the Western Australian Lawn Tennis Association from the 1890s to the 1990s. Sydney: Playwright Publishing]

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

The Tennis West Board consists of six Elected Members and up to three Board Appointed Directors. The Board will appoint a President from the Elected Members and a Vice President from any member of the Board.

The Tennis West Board of Directors meets a minimum of eight times a year.

The Tennis West Chief Executive Officer is appointed by the Board to oversee the operations of the Association.