Tennis revival leads to survival in Mannum SA as junior participation numbers boom

A small river community in South Australia has banded together to keep tennis alive in their town, after several years of dwindling player and volunteer numbers threatened its future.

Mannum is around 100 kilometres east from Adelaide’s CBD and has a population of just over 2,500 people.

While the town is known for its connection to the Murray River and river vessel history, like most regional towns, sport is also a major part of the community.

Mannum Tennis Club coach Peter Eckert said participation in the sport had diminished in recent years, but some hardworking volunteers had turned things around in 2020.

“But nothing is done alone, you need a vibrant community and committee.”

The Mannum volunteers have been supported by the Mid Murray Council and Tennis SA which has helped coordinate different events in recent months to build participation, including a ‘come and try’ day and the ‘hot shots’ program.

Increasing participation through inclusion and fun

Tennis SA regional officer Troy McNeil said introducing young people to tennis in a fun and inclusive setting has proven key to engaging them in the sport.

“We understand that there is that market there for those that want to play serious competition tennis but I think the majority of players that want to go out, they just want to have a hit and just have a bit of fun,” he said.

It was this approach that has proved successful and given junior tennis in Mannum a second life.

“We’ve got junior teams that have got more participants than we can manage,” Mr Eckert said.

“We need about six players per comp and each team has got about nine players in it, which is good because if the kids have a birthday party or another commitment they can say, ‘I’m not available’ and that gives others opportunity.