Tennis starts with love, and we're not just talking about the score.

Every inch of community spirit has gone into Omokoroa Tennis Club's new tennis courts, which officially opens on Saturday.

The official opening of Omokoroa Tennis Club's new courts is on Saturday, October 3 at 11.30am. Photo: Supplied.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council reserves and facilities projects and assets manager Scott Parker says the community has helped to bring the project together since the idea was first put forward around three years ago.

'It's been a great project from a community point of view,” says Scott, 'where a whole bunch of contractors have held their hand up at the beginning and offered their help.

'It's been a real community effort.”

While the courts are already being used, Scott says the final touches are being completed before the official opening on October 3.

'We're just going through final landscaping and finishing off the planting.”

Scott says council has contributed about $140,000 to the project, including around $10,000 from community sponsorship. In addition to that fund, about $60,000 has come from a TECT grant.

'When these decisions were made more than a year ago about how much money council was going to put in and how many courts were going to be built, there was also a grant given to Omokoroa Point School to upgrade their courts on the basis that they'd also be available to the public.”

He says there are plans for an additional two courts at the peninsula's Western Avenue-based sportsground.

'The tennis club were pushing right from the outset that they were needing more than two courts,” he says.

'The location of those hasn't been finalised yet, but they'll probably go on either side of the existing courts.”

The tennis club's acting treasurer/membership secretary Steve Wallsays the new tennis courts will help to cater for the growing membership.

'Initially we had 100 people supporting the tennis club,” says Steve, 'and more than 60 have already paid their annual membership for next year.

'Our view as the club grows, is we'll hopefully see four courts in the not-too-distant future and maybe six. Who knows?”

The new courts are part of an ongoing development of the Western Ave reserve, including a one-of-a-kind, environmentally sustainable skate path and a new sports pavilion to replace the existing club rooms.

Western Bay of Plenty mayor Ross Paterson says the new courts are the community's reward for two years of passion, hard labour and commitment.

'The project is a great example of how a community and its council can work together for the best result,” says Ross.

Ross says driving the process has been the project control group made up of tennis club members, council staff, community board members, design consultants and a representative of the Omokoroa Sports and Recreation Society.

'We see local input as an essential component in community projects. This amazing input of skills from the community has probably saved at least $10,000 in monetary value on this project. Not to mention the payback of immense satisfaction.”

The official opening of Omokoroa Tennis Club's new tennis courts is on October 3 at 11.30am.