NO BARRIERS, NO COST, NO CATCH. EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE
VOLUNTEER COACH WHO LOVES TO PASS ON THE JOYS OF TENNIS
In 2004 I took a Saturday morning walk with my daughter through my local park in Merton, south west London, that was to change my life.
On the two public tennis courts there was a coaching session going on and I stopped to watch before one of the organisers asked if I wanted to join in.
I did not know at the time that the friendly face was that of Tony Hawks, a well-known figure from television through his work as a comedian and actor.
Tony is a big enthusiast of the game and with his friend Patrick Hollwey had recently established a charity called Tennis For Free, which aimed to provide free access to the sport in the country’s public parks.
I accepted his invitation and have been going back every Saturday since, starting as a player and then becoming a volunteer coach. In my time there the charity has expanded to the point where, in normal times, it operates at 129 sites each weekend throughout the UK.
It was an unexpected, if very happy, turn of events in my life. My sporting background was more in cricket and basketball but I always enjoyed tennis and wanted the opportunity to play more.
There is a perception among many people that tennis is an expensive sport played by a certain section of society. What we do is welcome everyone from any part of the community and give them a chance to learn the game no matter what their background, completely free.
I find that we are often asked ‘what’s the catch?’ but there isn’t one. Thanks to our backers and the support of councils anyone can turn up, join in, and we provide all the equipment — there is no cost, no barriers.
So for 49 Saturdays per year — we only stop briefly over the Christmas and new year period — I coach at two different centres, morning and afternoon. These are not too far from the All England Club in Wimbledon but they are very different places to the famous tennis venue.
I became a Level 3 LTA coach and found that my work as a civil servant mentoring and teaching others was a transferable skill.
People of all ages come to us who would not engage with tennis otherwise. We have had players who have gone on to play at county level, or become members of clubs, or who turn up week after week because they enjoy the mental and physical benefits of the game.
One story involves Sam, a boy who came to us when he was in his early teens. He had never picked up a racket before and in his first session he played in socks with no shoes. He became so hooked that he qualified as a coach in the United States and is now coaching in the UK.
It is the development of individuals like that which give me and my fellow coaches so much satisfaction as we seek to give back to our community. We hope to be back in action early in the new year and I look forward to that feeling of getting home late on a Saturday afternoon, exhausted but combined with a real sense of reward.