‘One minute I’m president, the next I’m the team photographer!’
Tennis
All sports have their unsung heroes and Vanessa Webb is without question among them. Since taking up the game of tennis aged 11 Vanessa has gone from club player to administrator extraordinaire, culminating in a term as president of the Kent Lawn Tennis Association – the first woman president in its 127year history.
She’s met royalty, won numerous awards, taken up refereeing and even found the time do some public relations. She’s currently the Deal
Indoor Tennis manager.
In 1996 Vanessa accepted her first admin role at Margate Tennis Club, a decision which proved the start of her journey all the way to the presidency of the Kent LTA.
She recalled: “I was fixtures secretary and this took me to Bromley, where the Kent LTA is based, and got me noticed. I became the Kent LTA’s east Kent representative in 2003 and got more enthusiastic. “Things I never dreamed of doing, I did. It was grassroots stuff to professional tour meetings with the game’s governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association. I’d finish work and drive straight to a meeting for 7.30pm.”
This commitment did not go unnoticed and in 2007 Vanessa was awarded the
Kent LTA volunteer-of-theyear award. Unsurprising to most observers, but not the recipient.
“It was a bit of shock,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it and five years later I won it again making me the first person to win it twice.
“In 2008 I was asked to be an adviser/assessor for Clubmark, Sport England’s national accreditation scheme for highquality sports clubs. I was doing site visits and making sure standards are upheld. I loved it.”
With so many tennis commitments it says a lot for Vanessa’s stamina that she had time for a job as well.
But she did, managing to juggle life working at Albion Bookshop – until a new tennis development for Deal was opened by the LTA in 2011. Based at Tides Leisure Centre, the four-court indoor Deal Indoor Tennis Centre cost £1.3million.
Vanessa explained: “With such huge figures involved someone with the right background was needed to run it and the LTA recommended me for the role.
“It’s a dream job for me. I live and breathe tennis otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”
Vanessa also has a seat on the Kent LTA council and is the Kent LTA Mixed League organiser.
“My friends think I’m nuts,” she said. “I work MondayFriday and weekends I’m either refereeing tournaments or captaining my team in a county league match somewhere in Kent or visiting aclubinmyEastKentrep role. I’m also an avid spectator of the professional game and my annual leave is usually taken up with days out spectating at professional events.”
But before then, in 2015, came a proposal from the Kent
LTA – would Vanessa become the new deputy president for two years, before taking the presidency – the first woman incumbent – for a further two? “I just got a phone call, I didn’t see it coming, but there was no way I was going to turn it down,” she said.
“You’re only going to do it once. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become president.
“As president I have been present at various events around the county and beyond from the Fed Cup to schools tennis. There was also the opportunity to mix with royalty in 2019 when Sophie, Countess of Wessex, opened Marden Sports Club’s new tennis courts.
“I never knew I would be walking around as Kent LTA president with the Countess of Wessex.
“She was so friendly and quick to put everyone at ease.” In April 2019 Vanessa took on public relations responsibility for the Kent LTA. Her role as county press officer puts her on the communications board and she also sits on the awards panel for the Kent Awards. As for her press releases, they make good reading – the state of the county game looks bright.
In December Vanessa’s
17-year contribution to the county game was recognised by the Kent LTA, when she was awarded honorary county colours, but it was last summer’s win for Kent’s men in the national championships at Eastbourne that perhaps sums up this multi-tasking, fully-committed tennis enthusiast the best.
“We won the title and there’s me dashing off to the boot of my car for the camera,” she said. “One minute I’m president, the next I’m the team photographer!”