Tennis Victoria Board gender balance now 50/50

Monday 24 October 2016

Tennis Victoria is very pleased to announce the appointment of Matti Clements to its Board of Directors.

Ms Clements joins the Tennis Victoria Board with a wealth of experience in sport. She is currently the Director and Senior Psychologist of Mental Edge Consulting which provides services to multiple major sporting codes. Previously she has been the General Manager of People and Culture at the St Kilda Football Club, National Wellbeing Services Manager at the AFL Players Association, and Senior Psychologist at the Australian Institute of Sport. Most recently Ms Clements was a part of the Brisbane Lions selection panel to appoint their new coach.

The appointment of Ms Clements sees Tennis Victoria now have a 50/50 gender balance on its Board. This is an illustration of Tennis Victoria having been the ‘Improving Leadership and Governance’ Case Study in the Minister for Sport’s “Inquiry into Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation – A Five Year Game Plan for Victoria”, a report that was released in November 2015.

In announcing the appointment, Tennis Victoria President Gary Clark said, “As a Board we are thrilled to have Matti join us. Matti brings a variety of skills and experience that will benefit tennis in Victoria and adds to the important diversity of our Board of Directors. The Board’s depth of great local tennis knowledge and experience, combined with outstanding wider sports industry, business and governance backgrounds, is something that we are very proud of. Five of our Directors are Graduates of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.”

Ms Clements said “I am delighted to join the Tennis Victoria Board and look forward to positively contributing to such a large participation sport at the community level. Whilst I am often involved in high performance sport in my work life I have an absolute passion for the importance of grassroots sport and recreation.”

Victorian tennis now makes up 43% of the nation’s registered participation figures, from just 25% of the Australian population. This includes an impressive growth in the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots junior participation program. In the last five years, Hot Shots participation in Victoria has grown from just 9,175 boys and girls to nearly 87,000 registrants in 2015/16.

The gender balance of the Board is also reflected in the staff at Tennis Victoria with a near 50/50 split amongst the 37 full-time equivalent staff. It is also reflected in the participation of the great game of tennis which is truly a sport for all members of any community or family, no matter what age, gender, background or level of ability.

Background

Tennis Victoria’s purpose is to have more people playing tennis, more often, for life; in full support of Tennis’s national vision of ONE Million connected Australians. To achieve this, a prime part of its role is to service the 885 affiliated clubs, centres and associations across the metropolitan and country regions of state, and support their amazing volunteers, administrators and coaches that tirelessly drive the game at the local level.

The Tennis Victoria Board comprises:

Gary Clark – President	Barrister Life Member and former President, Liston Tennis Club
Mark Da Silva – Vice President	Principal, Hoyle Da Silva Lawyers President, Bayside Regional Tennis Association Life Member, St Andrew’s Gardiner TC
Dr Emma Sherry – Vice President	Postgraduate Program Director, Sport Management, La Trobe University Director, Vicsport
James Copes – Treasurer	Chief Financial Officer, National Embedded Networks Committee, Bundoora TC
Anne Baldwin	Club Operations Manager, Frankston TC Secretary, Peninsula TA
Matti Clements	Director and Senior Psychologist, Mental Edge Consulting
Phil Crouch	Vic/Tas Head of Regional Business Banking, ANZ North Kew & Greythorn TCs
Maria Keys	Director, Keys Consulting Services Vice President, North Suburban Night TA Secretary, Royal Park TC
Simon Meadows	Chief Executive Officer, Selkirk Group Director, Cobaw Community Health Service President, Kyneton & District TC
Anna Speedie	Mayor, City of Wodonga General Manager, Albury Wodonga Community College Wodonga TC