There was a new twist to this year’s annual Street Wimbledon event in that it was taken off the streets.
On Wednesday 2 July, the fourth edition of the event was moved to the Westridge tennis courts. In previous years it was held in Bordeaux Street, Westridge, where one of the organisers, Rodney Brown, lives.
Brown said the move was necessary because of the increase in the event’s popularity.
“It catered for more parking, more stakeholder engagement and more people,” he said.
“It was a masterstroke to host it at the tennis courts. We had more options of getting everyone to play and at the same time it also created awareness about the tennis club in Mitchell’s Plain. As a result of the event, the club signed up about 20 new members on the day.”
Ward councillor Ashley Potts agreed. “Some were concerned about the shift from Bordeaux Street, where it usually is played, to the tennis courts which takes away the “streets” as a concept, but in my opinion it increased the ideal in so many ways. The courts not only allowed for more playing area, but also saw so many more games played within the time set aside for the day.”
Potts estimated that about 500 people attended this year’s event.
The “Westridge Wimbledon” began during lockdown when Brown and his good friend, radio host Aden Thomas, reminisced about the street tennis games of their youth and how it was no longer a regular sight to see sports played in the streets.
“It was in the second year of the pandemic during school holidays where restrictions were lifted,” Brown said. “What we tried to understand was why kids no longer have active play during school holidays? Was it a lack of resources, safe space issues, the influence of social media or did they just lack the drive to host organised sport? It could be a mixture of all of the above. Because we were both tennis lovers, we decided to have a Wimbledon showdown but on a bigger scale in my street in Westridge.”
Spotlight on tennis
The popularity of the simple event has continued to grow every year and Brown says it has also caused an increased interest in tennis.
“Tennis is one of those sport codes that do not enjoy the benefits of funding and the support that is seen with flagship sports.”
He said the event highlighted that there is “actually an active club in the biggest township in the country”.
“Mitchell’s Plain Tennis Club is also the biggest club of colour in the Western Cape. What is needed is for parents to really make use of the facilities there and become involved with their kids. Football, cricket and rugby will always enjoy the cream while specialised sports like tennis remain in the trenches.”
He said he hopes the interest in the street tennis event will translate into investment in the area.
“We have many professionals who have honed their skills at this club and we certainly hope that the powers that be who attended, realise that we have a goldmine in the area and that discussions need to involve all the role players, more importantly, discussions that will benefit non-priority sport codes.”
