Tennis fun day raises pet food for Edenvale SPCA and The Cat Shack
The family-oriented Merrylyn Tennis Club requested entrants to the Tennis Open Fun Day to pay for entry by donating cat and dog food.
Cats and dogs were the beneficiaries of the entry fees at the Merrylyn Tennis Club open fun day.
That is because, for their entry, participants were requested to donate cat and dog food.
Jean de Villiers of Jean de Villiers Tennis Coaching said the donations would be sent to the Edenvale SPCA and The Cat Shack.
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Merrylyn Tennis Club treasurer Carlo Slongo, who has been a member since moving to the Edenvale area 22 years ago, said the club has been going since 1963.
He said it is more of a social club, very much family-oriented.
Slongo said the community has, over the years, continued to maintain, preserve, and look after the club.
“The club is looked after by the fees that we collect from members. The club does belong to Ekurhuleni, but we receive no financial support from the metro.
“So all the upkeep, maintenance, court resurfacing, nets, fences, garden, clubhouse and plumbing is all maintained by the fees that we collect from the members that we have,” explained the treasurer.
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He added that they still do pay rental to Ekurhuleni. “We pay for our utilities and the committee’s objective is to maintain and preserve this facility because it is very much oriented around the community and families. It’s not used for serious tennis league kind of playing, so it’s very much family oriented.”
Slongo observed that tennis is becoming something of a dying sport in South Africa. He said fun days such as the open day held on June 27 were organised by De Villiers and the club to help reintroduce the sport to both adults and children.
He added that this was particularly important for young children, who are often absorbed in social media.
“They like to be with friends and participate in team sports, so tennis is not as popular as it was many years ago. It’s quite a solitary sport. The whole objective of this is to reintroduce tennis and invite members of the community to get involved.”
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Slongo also observed that many adults who played tennis when they were younger stop playing as life becomes busier. Events like these give them an opportunity to return to the court and introduce the sport to their children.
He explained that children rely on their parents to bring them to the courts, so making it a family event generates greater interest and participation.
“It’s about keeping the sport and the club going and continuing to serve the community around the courts. Children of all ages, as well as their parents, can take part. It’s a social club, so it’s not about competitive tennis but about enjoying the game in a fun, social environment.”
