After the ribbon cutting, Mrs Cowled and Diana Buchanan went off for a ceremonial hit over the courts.

The ceremony celebrated the completion of a $200,000 upgrade, funded partly by the state government and Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, the tennis club and Tennis NSW.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke praised the collaboration between the different levels of government and sporting bodies.

“When all of the groups come together, you get amazing outcomes like this,” she said.

Ms Cooke said creating the infrastructure that will last for “generations to come” was important because the kids learning to play on the tennis courts were the future of regional towns.

“It’s about making sure all our sports facilities, as much as possible, are modern and welcoming so kids want to get out and play sport,” she said.

While funding upgrades to sporting infrastructure helped provide similar opportunities for regional children that were available in the city, they also helped improve lifestyles for Cootamundra’s residents.

“It’s so important that this government recognises for our towns to be strong, we have to have good amenities, as good as you can find in the city,” she said.

Following the official opening, Cootamundra hosted the Junior League Tennis tournament which attracted players from Tumut, Yass, Young, Goulburn and Cootamundra.