Automated tennis courts get a lot of interest

“There is an active interest in a complete solution for automated tennis courts, both from Estonia and elsewhere,” says Margus Randmäe, CEO of MyGames. MyGames, in cooperation with Valnes WebLock smart lock and other partners, offers a complete solution that allows you to automate the booking and payment of a tennis court, as well as access to the court, lighting and maintenance.

MyGames opened the first fully automated tennis court in the summer of 2020 in Pärnu. The court can be booked via mobile application and web browser. To access the automated tennis court, a code is created for the booker that opens the gate and, if necessary, switches on lighting specially designed for the court. Each customer receives a unique code, which is valid for entering the court only at the time booked by him or her. The tennis court is also equipped with cameras. The Valnes WebLock smart lock, which can be installed on the field door, is weatherproof. The court was installed by Unigrass in cooperation with MyGames.

The advantage of a automated tennis court is the low maintenance and marketing costs for the owner. Unlike a traditional tennis center, automated tennis courts do not have an administrator who receives payments from players and turns on the lights on the courts. Everything is done automatically. Players enter tennis courts without coming into contact with the staff of the center. Thanks to MyGames booking and marketplace platform, the tennis court is visible to all users of the app – just like when renting an Airbnb apartment. If you wish, you can easily set special prices, add promotional codes, and also book times yourself.

The first season went well

According to MyGames CEO Margus Randmäe, the firm was satisfied with the first season. “The number of customers at the Pärnu demo field has been growing every week since its opening,” he says. “In addition to individual customers and bookings, we were also identified by tournament organizers, who brought some games to our field within the tournament. Thanks to the stationary camera system, we were able to broadcast live from there, for example. There were many clients who had come to Pärnu to spend their holidays and were looking for an opportunity to play tennis. It was very easy for them to find us on their smartphone, conveniently book, and pay and play, without having to call and research separately, for example.”

Operators also satisfied with the Valnes WebLock smart lock. “The lock is reliable, compatible with our booking and marketplace platform, and fits as an important component in the complete automated self-service solution we are developing. We certainly also commend Valnes’ very smooth cooperation,” says Randmäe.

In addition to the MyGames demo court in Pärnu, the new tennis courts opened by the City of Paide and the Pärnu Sauga tennis hall were also automated in 2020. Erich Petrovits, a member of the board of the Paidesport Foundation, which manages the tennis courts of the City of Paide, has a lot of praise for the automatic reservation system. According to him, the tennis system was well received by the tennis players and they are also satisfied with the organizational side. “Players can go straight to the court with their code. We receive a fee for the courts once a month from MyGames, it’s very convenient, ”he says. “We recommend it to others as well,” he adds.

Valnes WebLock smart lock is being used by:

To install the Valnes WebLock smart lock solution on your tennis court, write to us at: sales@valnes.ee

Read more:
  • Access solutions for sports centers, swimming pools, spas