Internal reference for Tennis Australia staff
The HIT Venue Report is Tennis Australia’s standardised health assessment tool for tennis and racquet sport venues across the country. It provides venue operators, committees, and Tennis Australia representatives with a data-driven view of a venue’s current performance across three interconnected domains: participation activity, infrastructure condition, and financial sustainability.
The report exists to:
The HIT Venue Report is organised into three core sections and one overarching framework:
Covers overall participation health, coaching and complementary disciplines, schools and holiday camps, court hire and social play, and tournaments and competitions. This section answers the question: “Is this venue attracting, developing, and retaining participants?”
Covers the lifecycle condition of the venue’s physical assets — courts, surfaces, and lighting. This section answers the question: “Is the venue’s infrastructure fit for purpose and adequately provisioned for renewal?”
Covers the venue’s financial health, including cash reserves, projected cash flow over 12 years, and the gap between projected reserves and projected renewal costs. This section answers the question: “Does the venue have the financial capacity to sustain its operations and maintain its infrastructure?”
This is the overarching framework that connects the three sections. A thriving tennis community is one where participation is strong and diverse, infrastructure is safe and well-maintained, and financial health is sufficient to sustain both. The three sections are interdependent: strong participation generates revenue; revenue funds infrastructure maintenance; quality infrastructure attracts and retains participants.
Each participation page in the HIT Report maps to a stage in the participant journey — the path a person takes from first discovering racquet sports at a venue through to becoming a long-term, self-sustaining participant. Understanding this framework is essential for interpreting the data and connecting it to actionable recommendations.
The journey is not strictly linear. Participants can enter at any stage (some begin with court hire rather than coaching) and may move between stages. However, the framework provides a useful lens for understanding where a venue’s programming strengths and gaps lie.
Page 1 (Participation) provides the aggregate view across all stages, while Pages 2–5 drill into each stage individually.
The participation score is a composite metric reflecting the volume and diversity of activity at the venue. It considers total visitations, the spread across program types (coaching, competition, social, schools, events), and the demographic balance of participants.
The benchmark percentile slider compares the venue to its peer group — venues in the same tier and catchment classification. The percentile thresholds are:
The lifecycle score indicates the overall age and condition of the venue’s court assets relative to their expected useful life. A score of 100% would mean all assets are brand new; 0% would mean all assets have reached the end of their expected life.
The 12-year timeline bar visualises when major renewal costs are expected to occur. Each bar represents a year, and the height represents the estimated cost. This is the most important planning tool on the page — it tells the venue when they need to have funds available.
Provision costs represent the annual amount the venue should be setting aside to fund future asset renewal. These are not bills due now — they are savings targets. The provision contribution chart shows whether the venue’s current savings rate is on track to meet these targets.
The financial score reflects the relationship between projected cash reserves and projected infrastructure renewal costs over the forecast period. Unlike participation, this score can go negative — a negative score means projected costs exceed projected reserves.
The score considers current cash on hand, projected annual revenue and expenses, and the total projected cost of infrastructure renewal over the 12-year forecast. A positive score indicates the venue is on track to fund its obligations; a negative score indicates a projected shortfall.
The bar chart shows projected cash on hand for each of the next 12 years. Green bars indicate positive reserves; red bars indicate years where the venue is projected to be in deficit. The transition from green to red (if it occurs) is the critical point for planning purposes.
The sinking fund requirement is the annual amount the venue needs to set aside — above and beyond normal operating expenses — to fully fund its projected infrastructure renewal costs. If a venue’s actual contributions are below this figure, a deficit will eventually materialise.
Use this table as a quick reference for interpreting scores across the report. Note that the same thresholds apply to participation and infrastructure scores, but financial scores use a different scale because they can be negative.
| Score Range | Rating | Interpretation | Presenter Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above 75% | Strong | Venue is performing well relative to expectations. Activity levels are healthy or infrastructure is in good condition. | Acknowledge and celebrate. Discuss how to sustain performance and identify areas for further growth. |
| 50% – 75% | On Track | Venue is performing at or near the expected level. Some areas may benefit from attention. | Positive framing. Highlight what’s working and identify 1–2 areas with the most potential for improvement. |
| 30% – 50% | Watch | Venue is underperforming in some areas. Trends may be declining or activity levels may be unbalanced. | Constructive urgency. Frame as an opportunity to course-correct. Identify specific actions and connect to support resources. |
| Below 30% | At Risk | Venue is significantly underperforming. May require intervention, investment, or a fundamental change in approach. | Sensitive and action-oriented. Acknowledge difficulty, avoid blame, and work collaboratively on a concrete action plan. |
| Score Range | Rating | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Above 75% | Healthy | Projected reserves comfortably exceed projected renewal costs. The venue has capacity for investment and growth. |
| 25% – 75% | Adequate | Projected reserves are broadly in line with projected costs. Careful management is needed to maintain position. |
| 0% – 25% | Tight | Projected reserves are marginally sufficient. The venue has limited buffer for unexpected costs or revenue shortfalls. |
| Below 0% | Deficit | Projected costs exceed projected reserves. The venue is on track for a funding shortfall and needs a remediation plan. |
These are the questions venues most frequently ask during a HIT Report presentation. Prepare your responses in advance using the guidance below.
Some of the most important conversations happen when the data tells a challenging story. How you frame difficult results determines whether the venue leaves the meeting feeling overwhelmed and defensive, or motivated and supported. The following principles should guide every presentation that includes negative or concerning data.
Focus on the timeline — when is the projected deficit expected to materialise? If it’s 6+ years away, emphasise that there’s time to address it. If it’s imminent, discuss the most realistic funding options (increased contributions, grant applications, council partnerships, phased renewal plans).
Identify the specific programming gap (is it coaching, social play, schools, competition?) and offer a targeted recommendation. One or two focused improvements are more actionable than a broad directive to “do more.”
Connect infrastructure needs to funding pathways. Many venues are eligible for grants or council support for court resurfacing and lighting upgrades, but they need data to support their applications — and the HIT Report provides that data.
The HIT Report presentation should always conclude with a clear connection between the data and the venue’s next steps. This is where the Business Action Plan (BAP) becomes the bridge between insight and action.
| Data Insight | Suggested Action | TA Support Available |
|---|---|---|
| Low school program visitations | Launch a schools engagement program targeting 3 local schools by Term 2 | Schools program template, coaching resources, promotional materials |
| No social play activity | Introduce a weekly social mix-in session (e.g., Tuesday evening) | Social play format guides, marketing templates, Cardio Tennis resources |
| Court surfaces past lifecycle | Develop a 3-year court resurfacing plan with prioritised staging | Infrastructure planning tools, grant application guidance, council liaison |
| Negative financial forecast in Year 5 | Review sinking fund contributions and identify two new revenue streams | Financial planning templates, revenue diversification guides, BAP framework |
| Female participation below 30% | Launch two female-focused programs (social session + holiday camp) | Women’s tennis program resources, promotional material, facilitator training |