Participation, participation, participation! By John Cavill

Tennis Works

We now have a new focus for British Tennis…Participation! Although I laugh when making that statement as it seems obvious that this is something a governing body should be doing but it is a serious direction that I believe should be the number one on the tennis agenda.

Over the 14 years that I have been developing the coaching element of Tennis Works, my focus has been on getting as many people as possible to try the game and give them opportunities to continue playing. I established a Charity called MK Ace, which allowed us to get funding to help cover the large costs of hiring public facilities, staff, marketing etc and make tennis very affordable for all. The network I created in and around my town in Milton Keynes, Bucks, was huge and the operation had over 18 venues, 12 coaches, 20 schools and 1000 people a week playing tennis.

Then…we hit a recession! Funding dried up, the Schools Sports Partnership network lost its budget to provide coaches into schools during curriculum time and the whole operation shrank as the increase in costs to the customers prohibit them from playing and companies were not dishing out the sponsorship money due to tough times.

I live and learn that you can’t build a house on sand and when your model is funding / sponsorship reliant, then at any point the wind can change and you have to act accordingly. I also felt a passion to take tennis to the masses and not only offer it to wealthier people who could afford the high prices. I hope this article can highlight the importance of solid exit routes to retain players, which is where I believe that Tennis Clubs are the jewels of British Tennis.

A Tennis Club should be more than just a place to play tennis but a welcoming hub of activity that has something for everyone. A good coach / coaching team and forward thinking committee are essential. While working in public access facilities, my operation was relatively simple as I would pay for the court or hall usage and get the numbers in. In a club there is a lot of politics, committee meetings, demands from members and other duties which if you cost out the time, is very expensive. The important thing about being at a club is what you can offer people that they can’t get at a public facility and these things are essential to keeping people playing. I have listed a few below:

• ·         Good court surfaces (no broken nets, hedges growing through the fences, glass on the courts etc)
• ·         Floodlights – More courts available under lights
• ·         Facilities – Changing, toilets, kitchen, lounge area all near the courts
• ·         Court access – as a member you can use the courts whenever you wish, where as in a public facility you have to hire the courts on an hourly basis or share the facility with other sports which is more expensive when you play regularly
• ·         Community – Clubs have a community of players for socialising and getting different people together e.g. club nights etc
• ·         Coaching – Usually more flexible when a coach can teach people within a club especially if a public facility is shared with a school so it can’t be accessed during the day

With participation falling over the years and tennis clubs recording lower memberships, there is a lot of support that the governing body should be giving the clubs…after all, they pay the governing body every year for affiliation fees, so they should be getting support for this. 

So what could the governing body do to help support clubs? Here are three elements that would definitely help my business which is now ran at a club:

• ·         Representatives to support
• ·         Resources
• ·         Funding

Like I mentioned, my business started and flourished from using Public facilities but in order to keep people playing the game, people need to filter from these facilities into a club. More work is needed on setting up Public facility programmes, supporting the costs of delivery and making sure every person is given the opportunity to play in the local club. I know of public programmes in my area that have no club links and there is only so far someone can go in a public facility, so I feel strongly that all the hard work getting these people playing will be wasted long term. Also, in order for the clubs to thrive and continue to support the affiliation fees, they need new members coming in. 

You are not allowed to charge the children directly for coaching in curriculum time and school budgets are sometimes restricted, it would be great if there was a bursary that coaches could apply for to send them into schools during the day. From my experience, this will increase participation massively.

As clubs and coaches we shouldn’t rely on the governing body but be able to stand on our own two feet. The governing body should be the centre pin between all the clubs and initiatives, ensuring that clubs are regularly communicated to and offered support. I haven’t my development officer for well over a year and that may be because they don’t think we need the help, but to ensure that everything in an area is coordinated well, these officers should be in regular contact.

In recent years, with the focus on Performance Tennis, I feel has done tennis no favours. It’s simple…more people playing, more chance of people going on to play to a higher level. Hopefully the new era in British Tennis will be one that will save our sport and bring many people enjoyment.

John Cavill runs Tennis Works, a tennis developmental and resource company.  For more information check out http://www.tennisworks.net/