Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Club of the week
Springwells Tennis Club
Members of Springwells Tennis Club This week’s Club of the week is Airdrie’s Springwells Tennis Club.
The facilities are home to the only private tennis club in Monklands and offer top Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) coaching for junior members, who can join from the age of six.
Based on Drumbathie Road, this summer’s weather has been perfect for taking to the courts and honing skills.
We spoke to the club’s treasurer, William Scobbie, to find out more about Springwells.
How did the club get started?
The club and adjacent bowling club have been in existence for more than 100 years.
We celebrated our centenary a few years ago.
The location of the club hasn’t changed throughout that time although the playing surface has changed from a blaes surface to macadam.
What kind of success has the club had?
The club has competed in the West of Scotland leagues for many years.
Perhaps our most successful time was in the late 1960s when we competed in the first division and won the senior Calcutta Cup.
At that time David Woodhouse and David Morton were part of the West of Scotland team.
In more recent times though, the ladies’team have just won their league.
That was great for them as it’s hard to attract women to the club, so hopefully this will inspire more.
This is a great reward for the hard work and practice of a talented group of women.
Who are your coaches?
As a small club, we unfortunately can’t afford to employ a full-time coach.
However, we pay for the services of an LTA-qualified coach to provide guidance and coaching for our junior members.
Whenever possible, we also try to provide adult coaching.
How much work goes into running the club?
All the club officials are volunteers and we operate through a committee.
There is a great deal of work involved in running the club.
Each of our seven teams has a match secretary who is responsible for picking teams and organising matches.
The results then have to be logged online.
We try to work with the local authority to assist youngsters regularly.
Efforts are made throughout the season to run tournaments for members.
We also require a social organiser to raise funds.
How does the club benefit the local community?
The club provides an opportunity for people of all ages to participate in a healthy sport.
Membership is open to anyone and we cater for people who want to play competitively as well as people who just want to enjoy healthy exercise with friends.
Our junior section offers the opportunity for children to learn the game and enjoy themselves.
What youth options do you have?
We have a junior section from age six upwards who get coaching from a qualified coach every Saturday morning during the summer.
This year we are running a summer camp for children on the week commencing August 6.
This will run from 1pm to 4pm each day and will also be open to non-members.
For details of this or anything else relative to the club please contact Willie Scobbie on 01236 769518 or email williamscobbie@hotmail.com.
What difficulties do you face as a club?
In common with a number of sports, we encounter a problem with getting youngsters to continue to play after their mid-teens.
This is unfortunately when other interests intervene.
Also, again similar to some other sports, it can be more difficult to encourage ladies to take part at our club.
Does Wimbledon encourage new members?
Wimbledon inspires people to play and even though Andy Murray is injured this year, people still take an interest.
The good weather helps too as it encourages people to pick up a racquet.
If it rains, the courts become very slippery so it’s only natural that in weather like we’ve been having they’re keen to get out and play!
What would you say to someone who is considering signing up?
We are one of the few tennis clubs available for people in a large catchment area like North Lanarkshire.
If you want to develop your game and also have the chance to play competitively then this is the place to do it.
Give it a try!