Local hero Julie Arthur who comes from Sunderland is arguably Andy Murray’s number 1 fan and has only missed watching 1 of his senior singles matches since 2003!
Julie has always been a fan of tennis and following Team GB’s First Davis Cup win in over 77 years she took the opportunity to visit Sunderland Tennis Centre to see the Trophy in real life! From that point on Julie decided to get back on court and play at the tennis centre, which saw her develop the skills within the sport she had always held from her school days.
Julie then embarked on achieving her coaching qualifications. Within 18 months Julie went from volunteer to Level 2 Assistant Tennis Coach and admittedly the coaching journey wasn’t easy. On her first day at the UCoach course being held at Sunderland Tennis Centre, she was welcomed by the fearful sight of a room full of young people; it was at that point the thought of leaving and forgetting about her tennis journey crossed her mind! However, that thought was short lived due to the appearance of a familiar face, Matt Wigham. Matt is a Level 4 Tennis Coach based at the centre and provided her with the confidence and reassurance which she needed to start her Level 1coaching qualification.
Throughout both courses, Julie acquired a volunteering role at the tennis centre. This was a great experience because she could improve her confidence by working with others, and at the same time provide people in the local community with the opportunity to learn skills in tennis for their own personal development!
One of Julie’s highlights was when she launched the ‘Doubles Twisst League.’ The philosophy of the opportunity was a way to encourage adult’s to play in a fun based social event. Julie runs the session voluntarily and saw over 20 adults taking part in its first year. The huge success that Julie inspired saw her launch a second year and it continues to go from strength to strength!
Following her passing the Level 1 course Julie met Jo Cunliffe who works for the LTA, which enabled her to explore the possibility of joining the North East female coach mentor programme in 2017. Julie applied for the opportunity and was successful in gaining a place. Her local mentor was Matt Wigham and through the programme Julie decided to embark on her Level 2 qualification! Julie was an absolute gem on the course, soaking up all the information given, focusing on her own personal goals and working incredibly hard to give her the best chance of qualifying. After 2 hardworking and focused months Julie deservedly passed the course and within a few weeks had been offered more hours at Sunderland Tennis Centre!
Julie thought very highly about the experience,
“I enjoyed every minute! It was great to become part of the tennis mentor and mentee family! I learnt so much and importantly my confidence grew. At the beginning of the course I didn’t dare speak up in an open forum and by the end I was not only delivery coaching sessions by myself, I was also asked to speak at the 2018 mentoring launch, which although nerve racking was an incredibly proud moment!”
A fitting part of Julie’s journey also included meeting Andy Murray’s Mum Judy! Julie was invited to the North Regions She Rallies Event held in Manchester. Julie travelled down and ironically missed the only Andy Murray match, but the excuse couldn’t have been more fitting!!!! Safe to say Julie said,
“It was a ‘Murraytastic’ day and I will never forget it”.
Jo Cunliffe – LTA Regional Tennis Participation Manager is incredibly proud of Julie’s journey,
“Julie has been an absolute delight to work with. She is full of enthusiasm and passion for tennis and her hard work and dedication certainly paid off with her qualifying as a Level 2 coach. Julie is a local hero and an inspiration to others and the North East is lucky to have found her!”