Bad Heilbrunn Celebrates Opening of Sustainable Tennis Courts – A Milestone in Club History

As of: May 3, 2024, 11:05 a.m

By: Patrick Staar

PrintShare

Looking forward to the opening of the new tennis courts in Bad Heilbrunn (from left) Thomas Gründl (mayor), Martin Bachhuber (former mayor), Robert Rieker (chairman) and Uwe Mertens (head of department). © Patrick Staar

Bad Heilbrunn celebrates the opening of the four new tennis courts. The television presenter Julia Scharf hosted the celebrations.

Bad Heilbrunn – It is a milestone in the history of Heilbrunn tennis: On Wednesday afternoon, Pastor Clemens Schliermann blessed the four new sustainable tennis courts. “When I woke up today, my feelings were pride and joy,” said club chairman Robert Rieker at the opening ceremony.

TV presenter Julia Scharf lives in Bad Heilbrunn: “An incredible number of people pitched in”

Julia Scharf led the celebrations. The television presenter lives in Bad Heilbrunn and was able to follow the construction work up close: “There were a lot of hands who gave everything in the last few weeks and months to ensure that the tennis courts looked like they did,” she said. “An incredible number of people pitched in.”

With the construction of the new pitches, the club is thinking about the future. They are sustainable, recyclable and require almost no water for maintenance. Clemens Schliermann also addressed this point. Before the blessing, the priest noted with a smile: “I will forgo holy water because I heard that the place doesn’t need water.”

Construction of the tennis courts has brought the club together

This topic in particular is becoming increasingly important, emphasized Hans Rußwurm from the Bavarian Tennis Association. There are problems with drought, especially in northern Bavaria: “The clubs regularly ask themselves: when will the municipality turn off the water for us to maintain the pitches?” It is often just as important that the pitches require little maintenance. In his hometown club, 60 to 80-year-olds would take care of it, “and they’ll just be gone at some point.”

Daniel Goldschmidt from the manufacturer Gotec found that the course was a perfect fit for Heilbrunn because the club wanted an all-weather pitch that could be played all year round and was similar to a clay court. The tennis court expert also reported that the Heilbrunners had transported 400 tons of material themselves when dismantling the old courts.

(Our Bad Tölz newsletter regularly informs you about all important stories from your region. Sign up here.)

Department head Uwe Mertens summarized that the construction of the tennis courts had brought the club together. Children pushed wheelbarrows back and forth, and many people only got to know each other through working together. “That particularly excited me,” said Mertens. The work was completed “in no time” and the demolition work was completed within a week. The reconstruction started just as quickly, but then the weather turned bad and many people doubted whether the pitches would be ready in time for May 1st. The first children’s training session was able to take place on Monday.

“Difficult path”: SV Bad Heilbrunn proud of sustainable new tennis courts

Overall, it was a “difficult path,” said Mertens. “Many people said: We want to play on clay like before, not on plastic.” So he set off and discovered a company in Lörrach that produces very special plastic tennis courts: “We played on them and noticed that you can hardly use them from clay courts.” He coordinated with the members and then went looking for sponsors. “I checked out all the big companies in Heilbrunn.” In fact, he received a lot of money from many companies. The association has also started a crowdfunding campaign to collect more donations.

In total, the construction of the tennis courts and the redesign of the outdoor facilities cost 350,000 euros, with the municipality contributing 150,000 euros. “I think the local council made a good decision,” said Mayor Thomas Gründl. “Bad Heilbrunn can be proud that we play a pioneering role in the district.” According to former mayor Martin Bachhuber, Heilbrunn now has “one of the most beautiful sports facilities in Upper Bavaria”. (pr)

2024-05-03 09:05:00
#Bad #Heilbrunn #celebrates #opening #tennis #courts