Cockatoo tennis players can now train and play harder and longer well into the night, with recent court lighting upgrades at the Cockatoo Tennis Club now complete.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing today visited the club to officially flick the switch on the lighting upgrades, made possible by a $66,000 investment from the Victorian Government’s Local Sports Infrastructure Fund.

The Cockatoo Tennis Club is at the centre of all things tennis in the region. Recently club members have been struggling with dim lighting and there’s increasing demand for after-hours tennis. We’ve fixed that.

The new 250 lux LED lighting has been installed on the two northern tennis courts at the club, opening up the facility to night training and twilight tennis competitions.

The lighting upgrades are a boon for the club who are looking to extend their summer night competition schedule and development programs.

The Victorian Government has invested more than $1.1 billion in community sport and recreation infrastructure since 2014.

This includes the recent $55 million budget boost towards sports infrastructure investments to deliver new and improved community sports infrastructure across the state, with a particular focus on providing facilities to encourage participation among women and girls, through the popular Female Friendly Facilities Fund.

From playspace upgrades to new lighting, investments like these provide high-quality and accessible places for Victorians to reap the benefits of sport and active recreation participation.

Investments like these are all about creating jobs, stimulating local economies, and fast-tracking community recovery by improving the health, wellbeing, and social outcomes for Victorian communities.

Ms Shing acknowledged the Cardinia Shire Council for its commitment and financial contribution to the project.

For more information about infrastructure grant opportunities available through the Victorian Government visit sport.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing:

“With tennis booming in the region, Cockatoo Tennis Club deserves facilities that help even more locals hit the courts all times of the day.”

“The new court lighting provides a real incentive for participants to ramp up their training, development and competition play, and also for social players to join in the fun.”

“Better sport and recreation facilities make it easier for Victorians to get back to local sport and recreation when it is safe to do so and lead healthy and active lifestyles.”