Important Information

Essential Information for All Prospective New Members

Thank you for your interest in applying for membership of our Foundation. The following
important information is provided so that that you should be under no misapprehension
as to the nature of our purposes or of our objectives or, indeed, of what the Foundation
has to offer you in return for your membership.

This notice has been issued in an endeavour to ensure that your decision to apply
for membership is based on a clear and factual understanding of the Foundation.
It is also intended to avoid applications for membership being made on the basis
of any ambiguous, incomplete or misleading information espoused by others.

BACKGROUND

The Australian Davis Cup Tennis Foundation was formed in Melbourne as a Company
limited by guarantee in 1971 by a small group of prominent tennis enthusiasts following
a meeting with the then President of Tennis Australia. During that meeting, the
President expressed his concern for the parlous financial position of Tennis Australia,
saying that he could foresee it soon experiencing grave difficulty in meeting the
financial needs of our Davis Cup teams playing overseas.

He emphasised his conviction that there was a desperate need for an independent
and self-funding support group, comprised of members of tennis clubs throughout
Australia, to establish a vehicle through which to raise funds to assist Tennis
Australia meet the spiralling costs of team travel, accommodation and the introduction
of player development programmes to improve our team’s on-court performances throughout
the following decades.

The challenge was accepted and these needs immediately became the fundamental purposes
of the new Foundation. Tennis enthusiasts from around Australia responded magnificently
to the call for support by annually subscribing for ‘membership’. In return, each
new member received a distinctive tie (males) or scarf (females) and an occasional
Newsletter but otherwise, there was very little in the way of tangible benefits
that could be provided.

The advent of the Foundation helped to turn the tide and as the financial fortunes
of Tennis Australia slowly improved, it became the Foundation’s policy to also commit
funds to Tennis Australia for the identification and development of young Australians
who displayed early potential for development as our future Davis Cup representatives.

Initially, we had only the income generated by membership subscriptions from which
to assist Tennis Australia. With membership growth, we have been able to gradually
increase our own cash reserves to the extent that we are today able to supplement
this income with interest earned on our investments as well as with profits generated
from occasional members’ functions.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION

To date (June 30 2018) the Foundation has contributed over $2,000,000 to Tennis Australia to assist in the ongoing development of players.

TICKETS

Tennis Australia generously makes available to us a quantity of tickets for all Davis Cup matches played in Australia and overseas for purchase at face value.

We are also able to provide our members with access to a ‘Pre-Sale’ of tickets for the Australian Open as well as the other interstate January AO lead-in events.

Each member is also entitled to two Ground Passes for the Australian Open. These are valid for use on any day – excluding the middle Saturday and Sunday.

Today, the Foundation has just approx 1700 members drawn from all corners of the world
and interestingly, a healthy number of those residing overseas are not expatriate
Australians! All are happy to support Australian Tennis through their membership
of the Foundation and, in noticeably growing numbers, also with their presence at
Davis Cup matches in Australia and elsewhere. Many enduring friendship have been
made in recent years through these occasions.

Before you complete your Application for Membership, please make time to read it
thoroughly. You will then be assured of joining the Foundation for reasons that
you accept and not solely from the expectation of gaining access to tickets for
the Davis Cup and/or the Australian Open (that we may not be able to fulfil) or
on erroneous (even if well meant) advice provided by others.

On this basis, we will welcome your application.