UCI hopeful of large outdoor tennis stadium

On the heels of Thursday’s big announcement that World TeamTennis

is coming back to Newport Beach after a nine-year hiatus, there are

grand ideas about the future of the new franchise called the Breakers

and UC Irvine.

Among those in the audience at a press conference at the Hyatt

Newporter were a slew of UCI sports dignitaries, including UCI men’s

tennis coach Steve Clark and UCI Athletic Director Bob Chichester,

who is interested in the “community” aspects the WTT is prepared to

bring to the area, in addition to the tennis team.

Clark and UCI women’s tennis coach Mike Edles share a dream of

building an outdoor tennis stadium, and Clark said Thursday he’s

drumming up interest in a fund-raising committee.

Chichester said UCI is not in a position at this time to build an

outdoor tennis stadium, that there are other priorities in the

department, including the expansion of the weight room, the

reconstruction of the sports medicine facility at Crawford Hall and

the completion of Anteater Ballpark.

“If Steve and Mike can form a focus group (for an outdoor tennis

stadium), then I’ll work with the focus group,” said Chichester, who

added that he supports the idea of the UCI tennis center upgrading

from 11 courts to 12, while adding lights, office space and locker

rooms, which would make it ideal for hosting “NCAA competition and

some outside events.”

In the middle of July when school’s out -- and the weather is

beautiful -- the outdoor tennis stadium at UCI could be perfect for

hosting WTT matches as an “outside” event.

Right now, the UCI tennis center can hold about 1,000 fans.

Chichester said the new stadium would hold “several thousand,” and

could be built for the purpose of large “community events.”

“I think we could certainly foresee some events proposed that

might benefit a lot of organizations,” Chichester said of the WTT

franchise eventually moving to UCI. “But probably the devil’s in the

details there.

“But, when you talk about Billie Jean King, and hear from her

heart and how she gets fired up about this, we’ll do all we can in

our efforts ... it could be an opportunity. Lindsay Davenport is

thought of very highly on our campus. If Lindsay Davenport came to us

... there are a number of people more than willing to listen.”

The idea of UCI hosting the Breakers is putting the cart before

the horse, but things have a way of working out if there are real

commitments. For now, the Palisades Tennis Club will host the Newport

Beach Breakers, beginning this summer, with Davenport as the team’s

marquee player.

“Our goal is to eventually get out of the Palisades Tennis Club

and go somewhere else,” WTT executive director Ilana Kloss said at

the press conference.

The facility at the Palisades Club, known as the John Wayne Tennis

Club until 1995, played host to the Newport Beach Dukes from 1990

through ’94. It was a highly successful franchise on the court,

mostly under Coach Greg Patton, the former UC Irvine men’s tennis

coach.

Before Thursday, Palisades owner Ken Stuart said he was “hoping

for a three-year agreement” with the league, and, if everything works

in sync for WTT, UCI and the Palisades Club, the possibilities are

there for a short jaunt up Jamboree Road to University Drive.

Nevertheless, it should be exciting in July when the Breakers

become the next big thing.

Kloss said a stadium will be constructed at the Palisades Club to

seat anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 fans.

In April 1997, when the Palisades Club hosted a U.S. Davis Cup tie

against the Netherlands, grandstands were built to seat about 5,000.

This is WTT’s second time to Newport Beach. The Newport Beach

Dukes played at the same facility from 1990 through ’94. The Dukes

played mostly to sparse crowds at the old John Wayne Tennis Club, but

sold out each time a marquee player was in town, like Jimmy Connors

or Martina Navratilova.