New Tennis ACT chief Mark La Brooy outlines plans to grow sport in Canberra

La Brooy commenced the new role on Monday and hasn't wasted any time mapping out a planning to grow the sport.

The job marks a return to Tennis ACT after two years as a national manager at Tennis Australia. He was previously a regional manager with Tennis ACT.

La Brooy expressed his desire to build on the legacy left by former chief Kim Kachel, infrastructure forming a key role in the plan.

Completing the Amaroo development is a priority, the plans recently put to tender with construction set to be completed next year. There are also plans for more facilities at Lyneham, including a fully seated show court capable of hosting the world's best players on a regular basis.

Such a court would facilitate the return of the Billie Jean King Cup and provide a permanent, state of the art facility for the region's juniors to train on.

"Infrastructure is really important," La Brooy said. "When we think about Gungahlin, it's ensuring we've got the appropriate facilities so tournament and competition pathways [officials] from Tennis Australia will look at that facility and say 'this is great for the kind of events that [site] will attract'.

"We're also focused on bringing along other infrastructure within [the Lyneham] centre. Whether it's a covered centre court stadium setting, that's something that will help us and our locals develop their own pathways."

La Brooy is optimistic investment in new facilities will have a flow-on effect to both the community and elite level, with competitors in the Canberra International likely to be among the primary beneficiaries.

The men's tournament is currently an ATP Challenger event, with the women's an ITF Futures tournament. While a host of emerging stars have taken to the courts at Lyneham over the years, the event's status means the world's best bypass the ACT in favour of Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane.

The chief is realistic when discussing plans to grow the tournament in a congested Australian summer of tennis.

Doing so would require a change to the schedule and involve collaboration with Tennis Australia, the ITF, WTA and ATP.

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The organisations have, however, shown a willingness to innovate in recent years and have totally overhauled the schedule with the introduction of the ATP Cup and later the United Cup.

La Brooy is proud of the place the Canberra International holds in the calendar, but will continue to advocate for growth.

"That kind of sits at the hands of Tennis Australia, the ITF and WTA but I'd always love to elevate it if I could," he said.

"We've got to continue to workshop that and in the future if we look at infrastructure and infrastructure opportunities, having a covered centre court and appropriate stadium seating would definitely help to elevate that event into the future."

A Canberra local who has played recreational tennis for most of his life, La Brooy is determined not to lose sight of the grassroots throughout his time in charge.

The sport holds a unique place in Australian society as both a social game and a competitive pursuit and boasts a playing demographic ranging from early childhood well into the senior years.

Catering to all parties can be a tricky pursuit, but La Brooy said the key to success involves laying the groundwork for those entering the sport to ensure they remain involved for their entire lives.

"The cool thing about tennis is it's there for all ages, genders and abilities," La Brooy said. "Everyone's got their own path. Tennis has played a role in my life at different stages and each stage has had a different meaning.

"We want to get racquets into as many kids' hands as possible so they can experience the sport. Some will have some skills and go on and head down a performance pathway. For those who just want to play the sport because it's fun or for the social connection, that's equally, if not more important, because it's something they can take on all through their life."

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