Rachel Doyle is a Northumbria University student from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Rachel is in her first year at the University and heard about volunteering through the University Tennis Club Co-ordinator, Matthew Wigham.
Rachel wants to give back to the sport that has given her so much since she started playing when she was 6 years old, and the Northumbria University volunteering programme will give her the perfect platform to achieve this!
Since starting at the University in September Rachel has volunteered at David Lloyd Newcastle in their coaching programme, helped run Mini Tennis Competitions and is helping throughout the City linked to the Lawn Tennis Association’s programmes.
Tennis has allowed Rachel to develop her independence, confidence and social skills throughout her junior playing days, helping her personal journey. Essentially, Rachel’s desire to give back will see her help develop the next generation of players. She is keen to learn more about tennis, particularly about the techniques and methods of coaching and to eventually coach children of all ages and abilities herself, looking to achieve this over the coming months.
Highlights of Rachel’s volunteering to date are the rewards of coaching, where she has helped develop players week to week, and seen them enjoying the sport. Overall the volunteering has given the Northumbria University student a huge sense of pride and accomplishment and she highlighted,
“I am really enjoying the volunteering opportunities. Particularly the GB Tennis Girls event held on March 5th at The Northumberland Club, Jesmond. The fun atmosphere was fantastic to see, but more importantly the excellent sportsmanship and positive attitudes they all showed was really rewarding to witness. I felt really proud being involved in such a great event!”
Rachel’s personal achievements include being named ‘Young Sports Person of the Year’ for the region of Fermanagh in 2008, and a member of the Ulster tennis squad for 5 years.
Rachel’s role model is Serena Williams because of the American’s strong and confident character, which has seen her dominate the women’s game recently.
Benefits of volunteering as a student:
- Improve and build upon knowledge and enhance professional development within a specific industry
- Gain valuable interview experience and develop communication, self-awareness and reflection skills
- Become a valuable asset to an organisation, which is advantageous when seeking future work
- Bridge the gap between academia and a real world setting to establish a positive work ethic
- Widen and build valuable social and professional networks.
Five top tips for getting involved in volunteering as a student:
- Speak to your University Tennis Coordinator or Student Union volunteering team to find out more about volunteering and what opportunities are available
- Contact your nearest local tennis club to offer your skills – clubs are very keen to get more students involved (remember tennis clubs are looking for tennis and non-tennis skills!)
- Keep an eye out on the LTA website for opportunities or email volunteer@lta.org.uk to see how you can get involved
- Gaining tennis development experience through the Tennis Foundation and LTA whilst studying is also an option - find out more via the Tennis Foundation website
- Speak to your teacher or lecturer to discuss if they may be able to advise roads to explore which will benefit your course or future career.