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Tennis in Queensland is set to enter a new "golden era" with the completion of the Queensland Tennis Centre in December.

Soon after, on 4th January 2009, the first competitive ball will be struck on the venue's main court, the recently named 'Rafter Arena', as the inaugural Brisbane International tennis tournament, a new addition to the world tennis tour, gets underway.

As Queensland Sport Minister Judy Spence recently explained, the Brisbane International "will be the first international tournament to be played in Brisbane since 1994 and we expect tennis-starved fans will flock to the tournament to watch matches in one of the best tennis facilities in Australia."

And the facility will certainly be impressive. Located on the banks of the Brisbane River in the suburb of Tennyson, the $82 million facility features a 5,500 seat international-standard centre court - the Rafter Arena - with 20 corporate suites; 23 International Tennis Federation (ITF) standard courts including clay, grass and cushion acrylic (Plexicushion) surfaces; a pro shop, cafe, change rooms, meeting/function rooms; and administrative offices for Tennis Queensland.

Funded by the Queensland Government, the Mirvac Group, Tennis Australia and Tennis Queensland; the facility was designed by international stadium designers, the Brisbane-based, HOK Sport and Venues and The Mirvac Group's in-house architectural practice, HPA Pty Ltd.

The main design feature of the Centre are massive tensioned fabric structures covering the Rafter Arena and the two outdoor show courts. Fabric structures are also in use in throughout the Centre with 21 pergolas installed around the exterior training courts.

When erected, Minister Spence stated "people can now start to get a real sense of the atmosphere that will be generated here during major tournaments," adding that "the new Queensland Tennis Centre will provide a huge boost to tennis in Queensland."

In terms of management, Tennis Queensland, as the lessee of the State Tennis Centre, has negotiated for UQ Sport to operate the facility on a day-to-day basis. While Tennis Queensland will maintain overall management of the complex, UQ Sport will be responsible for court bookings, tennis programs, the cafe and pro-shop and other aspects of venue management.

UQ Sport, the venue management company that manages facilities for the University of Queensland, has have considerable experience in tennis, having managed the State`s High Performance Academy from its University of Queensland as base since 2006.

This program, based until now at the UQ Tennis Centre, will now move to the new Queensland Tennis Centre.

The Queensland Tennis Centre is featured in the November/December 2008 issue of Australasian Leisure Management, along with a review of Tennis Australia's new facility development and management framework.

4th September 2008 - UQ SPORT TO MANAGE QUEENSLAND TENNIS CENTRE?

24th July 2008 - UFS COVERS NEW QUEENSLAND TENNIS CENTRE

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