Joe Silvester - Head Coach (LTA Level 4 Senior Club Coach )

Joe did his LTA Level  3 qualification at age 18 after greatly enjoying working on a range of sessions, from performance to mini tennis, at the prestigious Manchester Northern Lawn tennis club. He coached there for 5 years, learning from three different level 5 performance coaches as well as many others. In order to further his prospects, he moved to Leeds to complete a Sport Nutrition MSc. He coached for 2 years on the Carnegie bursary program and completed his Level 4 qualification there. Joe started coaching at Horsforth in Sep 2018 under Steve McLoughlin's recommendation and immediately saw the impact that a blossoming project was having on its members and community. He now oversees a bustling program with a range of players from 4yo to adults, ensuring coaching is always delivered to high standard and provides pathways for excelling juniors to work as leaders/coach assistants on the program. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Joe via headcoach@horsforthtennisclub.co.uk

Contact: 07837181865

*Please note there's an additional £2 per hour charge if the lesson uses floodlights

Grace Dixon (LTA Level 3 Club Coach)

Full bio. By the time Grace was 10 she was competing at a national level. Through her junior and teen years, she was lucky enough to work and learn from some of the UK's top coaches, which to this day influences her own take on player pathways. Whilst completing her Psychology degree at Durham university; she had a very successful competitive career, particularly doubles, including national titles, British tour wins, and European singles/doubles titiles. She was able to coach on a program very similar to Horsforth with a wide variety of players. She also enjoyed a large client base at David Lloyd Sunderland, where she managed to build players from beginners to fully competitive players.  Those who've met her know she's a friendly, smiley person with huge passion for helping others with their game.

Contact: 07772959501

*Please note there's an additional £2 per hour charge if the lesson uses floodlights

Matias Destefanis (LTA Level 3 Coach & ranked ATP player)

Matias has been in a coaching role since 2018. His first experience was at Auburn University at Montgomery in the United States where he was assistant coach of the men's and women's tennis teams. He then coached in Argentina (where he's from) with kids, juniors and adults for a year, and finally arriving at Leeds Beckett, Roundhay, and Horsforth. He was a player before becoming a coach. He had played the NCAA leagues in the USA, the French leagues and summer tours, Argentinean national tours, and currently playing for Leeds Beckett since 2019. He also played shortly in the ATP tour where he got an ATP point that placed him on the 1700 position in the world which was the highest of his career. He loves the court and thrives when players come full of energy to learn and improve. He believes one of the most valuable benefits of tennis is giving people an opportunity to express and develop their personalities. However, his life has been about striving to better compete in the brutal world of performance tennis. Many club players would benefit greatly from just watching Mati play!

Contact: 07543471108

John Barton (LTA Level 2 Coach)

I was a late starter and didn’t play until my daughters began coaching lessons in the late 80’s and I joined a beginners’ adult class run by their coach Bill Lindley. He was all of 70 years young then but his infectious enthusiasm and focus on the basics gave me a love for the game and ensured I’ve only a few, really bad (tennis) habits! Bill didn’t take up the game until his 40’s and ended up head-coach for Cambridgeshire so, when retirement approached for me, I had no hesitation in going to Carnegie to take my LTA level 1 and 2 coaching courses. These qualifications have proved really useful for the Club as I can support Rob in the delivery of coaching as well as contributing, as a committee member, to the club’s vision that quality coaching for both juniors and adults is at the heart of our approach to ensuring the long term viability of this great community asset we have in Horsforth. I can vouch for the fact you’re never too old to learn and my own game has improved markedly by having to ensure I’ve had to revisit the old and learn new techniques that underpin any player, from 4 to 84, who wants to make the best of their talents.