Hi!

Welcome to Junior tennis at Appleton Roebuck Tennis Club

It’s a fantastic opportunity on your doorstep to learn new tennis skills in a fun and exciting way.

Our coaches are really friendly and use games and team challenges to make sure you warm up well and have lots of fun.

We have lots of mini-tennis equipment so you can get started from very young and move up to full size equipment as you progress.

So how can you get to play?

You can check the website page under Membership>Junior Welcome to find out what the latest information is at www.artc.org.uk. Then you need to follow the instructions about how to get more information. You will also find information on the junior coaching on the noticeboard at the courts.

Junior coaching is currently on Wednesday afternoons and switches to Sunday mornings during the winter months. The sessions are led by Jill Le Pla, a Level 3 LTA coach - you’ll have lots of fun while improving your tennis. If you would like more information, you will find Jill’s contact details on the website or on the noticeboard. You can also enquire by sending an email to juniorcoaching@artc.org.uk

Anyone taking part in the junior coaching does need to be a member of the tennis club. This is to help with the costs of keeping the courts and equipment in great condition for you.

Junior membership costs £20 - a real bargain - allowing you also to play at the courts any time they are free. Membership is valid from 1st April to 31st March the following year. Please remember that, when playing in your free time rather than coaching or club sessions, a junior who is under 13 years old must be accompanied by a parent/carer, who can join as a “Chaperone” free of charge! Just check the booking system on the website to see when a court is available - after school is a great time to play and any time in the evenings or weekends when there are no league matches.

If you are 13 years old and over, you can have a court key (£5) and play with your friends without a parent/carer needing to stay. Please remember, though, that anyone under the age of 18 is not allowed in the clubhouse unless accompanied by your parent/carer or taking part in a coaching or club session.

Junior club nights are on Fridays after school and you can have 3 free sessions to see if you like it before deciding if you want to become a member. It’s a great chance to practise and play some fun games.

What should I wear?

Well, we know there’s some stylish tennis gear at Wimbledon but here at Appleton Roebuck we don’t mind what you wear, as long as you’ve got a pair of trainers and you can run around the court safely without tripping over anything. For us, comfort is the key to enjoying your tennis, so we don’t recommend jeans as they can stop you running around as easily.

Do I need a tennis racquet or balls?

If you haven’t got a racquet, there are a few spares in the clubhouse. If you would like to borrow one, you can get in touch with Chris Howat at juniorcoaching@artc.org.uk. She might even be able to give you a can of balls too!

Jill will also have some spares if you want to try out the junior coaching and your first coaching session is free!

How to have fun while staying safe

We’re BIG on safety at Appleton Roebuck and spend a lot of time making sure we do everything to make you feel good about where you are. Please follow the guidelines in the Juniors Code of Conduct (on the website or noticeboard) to ensure that you will enjoy your tennis in a happy and safe environment. We also have A LOT of club policies to make sure:

1. The courts and clubhouse are clean and tidy.
2. The courts are in good condition
3. The coaches really understand what you can and can’t do and suit their programme to you.
4. That you can tell somebody if you feel awkward about something.
5. That you know how to use the internet safely.

Chris Howat is our Welfare Officer. She is the one to contact if you have any worries or concerns. You can reach her at welfareofficer@artc.org.uk. You will need to ask a parent/carer to sign an Internet Access Agreement form and to give some contact details. You can find these on the website.

Chris is also the committee member who liaises with our juniors coach, Jill Le Pla. If you want to know anything or need more information on the coaching or junior club sessions, you can either contact Jill direct at jlptenniscoaching@gmail.com or email Chris at juniorcoaching@artc.org.uk.

We hope you’ll join us at ARTC and look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

ARTC Committee