Tennis West President Pam Cresswell and her Board face a fundamental question: does the organisation’s affiliation fee structure genuinely encourage clubs to grow tennis?
For 2025–26, Tennis West charges metropolitan clubs $333 plus GST for every court, while country clubs pay lower per-court rates. The model measures a club’s physical footprint, not its membership, participation growth or financial capacity.
That creates a potential imbalance. A club with several courts but a modest or declining membership can face a substantial affiliation bill, while receiving no direct financial reward for attracting new players.
There was another path available.
Tennis West could have developed a shared-growth model under which clubs and the governing body succeeded together. As clubs attracted more members, delivered stronger programs and increased participation, Tennis West’s revenue could also grow. Such a structure would give both parties a common commercial objective: more people playing tennis.
Tennis West says its staff are dedicated to helping clubs increase participation, maximise court use and grow player registrations. Yet its published fee structure remains tied to courts rather than those outcomes.
The issue is bigger than the price of affiliation. It is about whether Tennis West sees clubs as organisations to be charged or partners to be developed.
Under Pam Cresswell’s presidency, Tennis West has spoken about collaboration and rebuilding stakeholder relationships. Clubs are entitled to ask whether the affiliation model reflects those promises.
Is charging clubs according to the number of courts really the best way to grow tennis in Western Australia?
