Dear TMA Members,

On behalf of the Tennis Masters Auckland Committee, I would like to share an end-of-year update and some important news.

Since taking up our roles in August, the committee has been working on key priorities for Tennis Masters Auckland. Thanks to the excellent stewardship of previous committees, TMA is in a strong financial position. This allows us to invest in areas where we believe we can add real value for our members.

While I won't outline our full strategic plan in this email, I would like to highlight three areas of focus and some immediate actions we are taking.

Centre Court Roof Project

Many of you will be aware of the plans to construct a roof over Centre Court at the Manuka Doctor Arena. Significant fundraising has taken place over the past year, alongside support from government and other funding bodies.

One initiative supporting this project is the '1956 Club', which allows individuals and organisations to purchase two seats in a dedicated area. These seats provide access to every session of the ASB Classic fortnight for an initial five-year period.

I am pleased to share that Tennis Masters Auckland has joined the '1956 Club'.

Why have we made this contribution?

• TMA is fortunate to be in a strong financial position, enabling us to support this important project without limiting our ability to invest in other member initiatives.
• The seats we have purchased will be made available to TMA members via a ballot system. These will be offered to members at a significant discount from standard pricing – tickets for semis and finals will be $50/seat, with earlier rounds $25/seat. Some seats will also be used to recognise volunteers and members who have made significant contributions to TMA over the years.
  Please watch out for emails in the coming days inviting you to apply for the ballot for these spectacular seats at the upcoming ASB Classic fortnight. There will be two emails, one each for the Women's tournament and the Men's tournament.
• The Centre Court roof is a major investment in the future of tennis in Auckland. We see this as an opportunity for TMA to play a leadership role alongside Tennis Auckland, Tennis New Zealand, and other contributors.

Encouraging Participation

Providing a wide range of playing opportunities remains a core responsibility of TMA. Our tournaments, regional fixtures, and winter social play are all well supported and highly valued.

The committee is exploring the option of hosting a second major tournament each season (in addition to Labour Weekend) and has committed to increasing the number of social board-play events. Importantly, we will invest in indoor court time for these events at no cost to members.

Representative Team Uniforms

The committee is focused on ensuring that Tennis Masters Auckland is the most professional masters body in the country. A key part of this is how our representative teams present themselves.

Many members have noted that the absence of a team uniform detracts from Auckland teams presenting a united and professional image at regional fixtures and national events. The committee has therefore committed to fully funding team uniforms for those participating in the 2026 Teams Event.

Thank you for taking the time to read what I acknowledge is a lengthy update. As a committee, we are excited about the direction TMA is heading and wanted to share a comprehensive update with you.

Please remember to keep an eye out for the upcoming email regarding applications for the '1956 Club' seats at the ASB Classic.

On behalf of the TMA Committee, we hope you have a great break and take the opportunity to spend a good proportion of it on the tennis court.

Kind regards,

Philip O'Neill
President – Tennis Masters Auckland