With so much happening around the County, this is a great opportunity to personally update you on some of the great work that's taking place throughout Hampshire & Isle of Wight.
Facility developments
I’m delighted that the LTA will be supporting Winchester Tennis & Squash Club with the construction of four indoor courts at the Bereweeke Road site in Winchester. The club achieved Tennis Clubmark status in 2009 and have a large coaching and competitive programme for their members. The construction of the four courts will enable this large programme to continue throughout the year.
It’s also great to be working with some smaller clubs such as Alton Tennis Club and Compton & Shawford Tennis Club, both of whom have received financial support towards the construction of floodlights. It’s vital that we support the small clubs to develop better facilities to both attract people to the game and retain those already playing.
Moving with the times…
One of the most exciting changes in recent times has seen both the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Summer Doubles and Hampshire Veterans Leagues go online. Clubs can now log in to the LTA Tournament Software website to view their fixtures, results and view league standings which are continuously updated.
Tennis Clubmark
Alverstoke Tennis, Squash & Badminton Club became the 25th club within Hampshire & Isle of Wight to be accredited with Tennis Clubmark. The club has made a fantastic turnaround in the last 12 months, which has seen the introduction of a new coaching programme, as well as an increase in membership.
Competition
Throughout the winter, we’ve been supporting clubs to run more adult and junior competitions. This has been fantastically well received with a number of adults now playing competitive singles for the first time in years at various clubs throughout the county. Smaller clubs, such as Littleton Tennis Club and Southsea Tennis Club, are now beginning to offer more competitive opportunities for their members and local people throughout the year.