Mike McBrien the former longstanding Chairman of Tennis Lancashire attended Queen's Club last week to receive his LTA Meritorius Service Award.
The Meritorius Service Award is the highest LTA Award which Tennis Lancashire nominated him for earlier this year. Mike is known throughout Lancashire and further afield as someone with a deep love of tennis, who is extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and always available to help in any way he can.
Mike’s love of tennis started as a child, firstly playing team tennis for Owen Hughes LTC, aged twelve, until joining Vagabonds LTC. He then went on to play and captain the first team, winning the Liverpool League A Division several times. Mike reached the height of Junior Wimbledon in 1960 and continued to represent Lancashire at Junior and Adult level, wining the Men’s Doubles in the Lancashire Championships.
Mike started his volunteering work in 1959 as a junior representative on Vagabonds LTC committee and is the current Chairman, having been elected in 1983. Through this role Mike has also had several roles on the committee of the Liverpool league, serving as Tournament Secretary, Chairman for 3 years and President from 2009 to the present day.
In 1979 Mike joined the Lancashire LTA Council and held key roles as Councillor, Tournament co-ordinator, County Secretary and Chairman. Mike was also the Tennis Lancashire LTA President in 2001. Most recently, in 2024, at an age when most people are thinking of stepping down, Mike was elected to the Board of Tennis Lancashire Ltd in the role of Chairman and Competitions Director.
At a National Level, Mike was elected to the LTA Council in1998 where he served for fifteen years as Chairman of the Club and County Committee and also the Officiating and Funding committee.
Mike is also well known and respected in the world of officiating ,having been a member of the SLTR and then ABTO when they took over. Mike refereed the Liverpool International in 1979/80 which included working with players such as John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Miloslav Mecir, Jeremy Bates, Goran Ivanisevic, Yannick Noah and many others. Mike referees the Liverpool International exhibition tournament, National and County Winter Regional tour events, Summer and Winter County Cup events for the LTA and works on the control desk at Futures events Pro Series, ATP and WTA events. Mike also runs events in his home city refereeing the Liverpool Parks Tournament since 1996 and the Grade 3 events held at Liverpool Tennis Centre since 1993.
Mike’s knowledge at Club, County and National Level saw him become the Chairman of the Northern Counties Regional meetings from 2012 until this year, as well as being a Bolton Arena Trustee and Board Member since 1999 at the conception and building phase.
Unsurprisingly, Mike’s hard work and dedication to the sport of tennis has culminated in him receiving an award in 2013 for services to sport in Liverpool, the Tennis Lancashire Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, ABTO’s Alastair Wotherspoon Award in 2022/3 and Lancashire Official of the Year 2023. Mike was also nominated in 2011 by the LTA and received a Torch Trophy Trust Award for services to tennis from Princess Alexander.
Mike stepped down as Chairman of Lancashire at the end of the financial year, and we in the County wish him every happiness in his retirement.