You can’t play tennis on your own, so Penelope Webb hit up against a brick wall when she joined Albion Tennis Club at the start of the year.
Ms Webb has recently moved to Ardeer from country Victoria, and hoped to continue social tennis with a ladies group here. But the club didn’t count a single woman among its ranks.
“Despite a very agreeable site at Selwyn Park on Kororoit Creek and decent club facilities, membership of Albion Tennis Club is down … and there are no women players,” Ms Webb said.
“I’ve been told it’s been a problem for a while – it’s an entrenched problem.”
Albion Tennis Club president Darek Jodko said the club has struggled to attract women despite a strong female presence in the past.
“We have 10 female members out of a total of 66,” he said.
In a bid to lure more women, the club has offered free membership for female players since July 1 last year, something it has advertised in numerous letterbox drops.
“I don’t know why women aren’t attracted,” Mr Jodko said.
“And it’s not just at our club, others are struggling as well.”
Joyce Nash, former secretary and treasurer of Sunshine Park Tennis Club, said female members began to drop off about five years ago.
“We’ve tried and tried, but we just can’t get anybody,” she said. “I’d really hate it, if it (social ladies tennis) disappeared.”
A Tennis Victoria spokeswoman wasn’t able to find a breakdown of the number of women who are members of tennis clubs, but said 46 per cent of 191,789 registered participants with Tennis Victoria were female.
