Local wheelchair player Matt Leggett and former Australian tennis player Todd Woodbridge at Aspen Medical All Abilities & Wheelchair Hub. Photo: Anastasia Kachalkova.
The redeveloped Aspen Medical All Abilities & Wheelchair Hub at North Woden Tennis Club is in full swing after officially reopening in late 2023.
Aspen Medical and Tennis ACT joined forces to further support the $825,000 from the ACT Government to produce the facilities, which include four new hard-court surfaces alongside restored synthetic grass courts and an extension of the concrete path to improve accessibility to all courts.
The upgrades have made the community club safer for all players and allowed athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities to train and play in a supportive environment.
North Woden Tennis Club president Jillian Mitchell said the work was well overdue and had attracted an overwhelmingly positive response from the community.
“Our first junior development tournament since reopening attracted a record number of entries because people wanted to see what the courts are like … The feedback is that they’re absolutely fantastic,” she said.
“There really needed to be a centrally located venue in the ACT that catered to all abilities, and these upgrades answer that need.”
Ms Mitchell said tennis was an excellent vehicle for more inclusiveness, social cohesion, mental and physical health and wellbeing and community connection for people living with disability in the ACT, and that demand for access to the sport was growing.
“We originally only had one wheelchair athlete but thanks to the wheelchair program, that’s growing,” she said.
“We’ve also had enough interest that we’ve been able to introduce wheelchair tennis alongside junior and adult categories to the annual club championship, and we’re so pleased about that.
“One of our wheelchair athletes is now a qualified coach, who coaches other wheelchair athletes.
“It’s still relatively niche, but we must do all we can to ensure we accommodate people of all abilities to partake in this wonderful sport – and that includes people living with intellectual disabilities or other impairments who enjoy the game.”
Feedback on the new courts has been overwhelmingly positive. Photo: Anastasia Kachalkova.
Wheelchair tennis is one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the world, developing incredible endurance, strength and skill levels in its athletes.
The wheelchair sport integrates well with the able-bodied game. It requires no modifications to the size of a regular court, rackets or balls and follows the traditional rules, with the only exception being that wheelchair tennis players are allowed two bounces of the ball.
Aspen Medical General Manager of Advisory Services Robyn Hendry said that when the opportunity came up to fill a gap in the funding provision for the project, it was a no-brainer that Aspen Medical should step up.
“For the 20 years that Aspen Medical has existed, we’ve been in the business of helping reduce barriers that impact quality of life for people experiencing physical or intellectual disability,” she said.
“Our particular interest in tennis was piqued while we were providing services to the Australian Open during COVID to help ensure those two grand slams in 2021 and 2022 could happen. We noticed then that Tennis Australia, along with other sports I’m sure, had a strong interest and set of principles of diversity and inclusiveness, and that values alignment resonated with us.
“We were delighted to provide the little extra resources, alongside Tennis ACT and the Territory Government, to help make this happen and are thrilled it has now opened to such a positive reception.”
North Woden Tennis Club will host its community tennis event at the Aspen Medical All Abilities & Wheelchair Hub on Saturday 27 January – for more information visit the webpage or Facebook event.
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