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Rod Van’s time on the Tennis West Board has officially ended, closing a contentious chapter in Western Australian tennis. Van served as Tennis West President during the controversial termination of former chief executive Brett Patten in August 2023. The decision followed a Tennis Australia Integrity Unit investigation, although Tennis West subsequently acknowledged that Patten’s role in the investigated matter fell short of the evidence threshold required to establish a policy breach. The dispute triggered legal action, boardroom division and sustained concern about Tennis West’s governance. Van was removed as President in December 2023 and remained a director until November 2024, according to the organisation’s 2024–25 annual report. An independent governance review later recommended reform across four areas: refreshing the Board, rebuilding respectful relationships, developing sustainable independence and meeting recognised sports-governance standards. Tennis West accepted all 13 recommendations. Van’s departure should now mark more than a change of personnel. It should create an opportunity for transparency, reconciliation and renewed confidence among WA’s clubs, volunteers, players and government stakeholders. The lasting question is not who won the boardroom battle. It is whether Tennis West has learned enough to prevent another one. Have WA tennis clubs regained confidence in Tennis West? Join the Court Talk conversation. |
4 Responses
Glad to see this written up plainly. The Boards led by Rod Vans actions and everything that followed did real damage to trust in the Tennis West organisation, and a lot of us at club level were left in the dark about what was actually going on at board level. Thirteen governance recommendations accepted is a start, but as the article says, the real test is whether Tennis West has actually learned from it, not just changed a name on the letterhead. Watching closely to see if the new board engages with clubs any differently.
The priority now should be rebuilding trust between Tennis West and its clubs. Governance problems can damage sporting organisations for years if lessons aren’t learned. Transparency and reconciliation would be a good place to start.
The most important part of this story is what happens next. Reviews and recommendations mean very little unless they result in measurable changes. Clubs should be able to see what has changed, what recommendations have been implemented and how Tennis West intends to prevent similar governance problems occurring again.
WA tennis has spent far too much time talking about boardroom issues instead of players, clubs, coaches and competitions. Hopefully this period becomes a lesson in the importance of good governance, choosing the right people to act on a board and the sport can move forward with much greater openness and accountability.