On Sunday 18th May Stowmarket Lawn Tennis Club held an Open Day as part of the Lawn Tennis Association's Great British Tennis Weekend. The day was a scorcher and the management Committee orientated events towards families and juniors, giving the day a friendly welcoming atmosphere.
Stuart Beaton, the current Chairman said "the Committee firmly believes that the future of the game, and the longevity of the Club itself will be defined by how well we can engage and enthuse the younger generation. This is not about abandoning our core membership base. It's about building for the future and ensuring sustainability and progression."
The day saw members of the town and local area come along and try their hand at tennis. Visitors were offered free coaching sessions to get a taste for the game, and both the juniors and adults who came along took full advance for the whole afternoon. The Coaching team along with an army of volunteers who helped run the day were suitably exhausted by the end and it was a huge success, with the membership base growing by a massive 10% on the day. "This was an unprecedented success and one that the Committee and volunteers should be hugely proud of"
This Open Day tied in with a national drive by the LTA which Stowmarket has been directly supporting at the County level. In fact, the Club was visited by a representative from the LTA, Steven Law, who has been a major sponsor of the Suffolk Great British Tennis Weekend effort. Stowmarket Tennis Club continues to punch above it's weight at the County level and stands side by side with other much larger tennis organisations.
The all year round Club continues to be an asset to the town, and is receiving a lot more attention at the County and even national level. Our junior teams are currently 8th in the County, a huge testament to the persistence and patience of the Club's dedicated Senior Coach Chris Cunningham who is endlessly devoted to getting more young players involved as early as possible. And the visit by the LTA president last year really has put Stowmarket on the map.
More information www.stowmarkettennis.co.uk