Mossman State School is set to receive a much-needed tennis court revamp under the state government’s Tennis in State Schools Initiative (TISSI).

In an announcement made yesterday by Cook MP Cynthia Lui, Mossman State School will receive $141,000 to upgrade the run-down tennis courts which are more than 30 years old.

“I’m proud to announce Mossman State School has made the first list of schools to benefit from the Palaszczuk Government’s three-year, $1.5 million program to revamp tennis facilities in state schools,” Ms Lui said.

“These facilities will also be available for the wider community to use, with Tennis Queensland providing insurance cover for the facilities.”

Ms Lui said the initiative was all about encouraging more students to get active.

“We want all Far North Queensland students with a passion for tennis to have access to quality facilities and this program is providing exactly that.

“With the Australian Open kicking off yesterday, we hope this announcement will further inspire locals to pick up a racquet,” she said.

TISSI is a collaborative agreement between Tennis Queensland (TQ), with the support of Tennis Australia (TA), and the Department of Education in a ‘third-share’ funding basis.

The other successful schools in Round 1 of the initiative are:

• Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School
• Mackay State High School
• Wellers Hill State High School
• Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School

Tennis Queensland Chief Executive Mark Handley said the program will have a positive impact on the health of the wider community.

“TISSI is about using tennis as a vehicle to support a healthy, active and vibrant school community. We know improved facilities leads to more people wanting to play sport and that includes students, teachers, parents and carers,” Mr Handley said.

“Tennis is a sport for life so by creating facilities of a higher standard in schools, we are giving our young players the chance to connect with a positive passion that will see them throughout their years.”