Twyford Tennis Club

We need YOUR help to build a 4th floodlit court and upgrade floodlights on existing courts to enable year round playability and increase access to tennis, particularly for KIDS.

Welcome to Twyford Tennis Club (TTC), where passion for tennis meets community spirit! Nestled in the heart of Berkshire, TTC is more than just a tennis club—it's a hub for families, friends, and tennis enthusiasts of all ages.  We are a thriving club with just under 300 members. This year we are celebrating 85 years, established in 1939 and in March we were honoured with Twyford Community Group of the year.  Our Chairman, Jamie, received the award on behalf of the whole membership in an awards ceremony.

WHY ARE WE CROWDFUNDING?

Twyford Tennis Club is on a mission to modernise, expand, and better serve our vibrant community. Over the next five years, we've set ambitious goals to make tennis more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone in Twyford.  TTC’s success in recent years means that it cannot meet current demand for tennis.

With your support, we can:

1. Build a new floodlit court.
2. Upgrade the lighting in two further courts - our outdated floodlights are in dire need of an upgrade, ensuring safe and enjoyable play during winter months.
3. Add a hitting wall for members and public to perfect their shots.

Maximum Capacity

Only having 3 courts severely hampers our ability to provide tennis facilities to everyone who wants to play:

• Members and public are not able to book courts during coaching sessions and kids’ tennis camps 
• Kid’s tennis camps and coaching sessions are over-subscribed with many kids missing out
• Limited court availability at match times on weekend mornings
• During busy club nights and match practice sessions there are often people waiting to play which discourages more players attending club nights.
• Limited evening court availability limits the amount of group play sessions that can be organised.
• The Club currently restricts the booking hours available to non-members to daytime use to reduce overcrowding at peak times.
• We currently have c100 members per court compared to the LTA recommendation of 60 Quality related
• Existing sodium halide floodlights are very poor quality and limit winter use. Many members do not feel comfortable or even safe playing under floodlight. 

One extra court would significantly reduce the current restrictions and allow TTC to actively recruit new members and increase access to the public on a pay and play basis.

Have a look at our BUSINESS PLAN HERE.

But it is EXPENSIVE.  The club and the LTA, via a loan, will contribute a significant portion of the investment but we NEED YOUR HELP to make up the shortfall and enable the project to move forward.

The Target

The target for the crowdfunding campaign is £20,000.  £10,000 through crowdfunding and Sport England will match that.

How we’ll spend the money raised

All the money raised will go directly towards the cost of building the new court and upgrading the floodlights.

The committee has already worked very hard for the project and obtained the planning permission- the consent was achieved on 13 January 2023 - erection of an additional tennis court with fencing, new floodlights system to block of 3 courts & rebound fences to single court.

We are in the process of selecting the best contractor and continue to build up the club funds by running multiple events.  We will extend the tennis club area to the required size, dig out and prepare the land for the 4th court, have the surface laid and install additional LED sustainable lighting for three of the four courts.

The Club clearly recognises that there are many competing and well deserving requests for funding, both locally within our community, nationally and globally but we very much hope you are able to support this exciting initiative.

What is the impact on the community?

TTC is on a mission to modernise, expand, and better serve our vibrant community. Over the next five years, we've set ambitious goals to make tennis more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone in Twyford.

1. Right-Size and Modernise Facilities: We aim to remove capacity restrictions, ensuring greater access to tennis for residents of all ages.

2. Boost Junior Participation: Our goal is to double the number of junior members by 2028, nurturing the next generation of tennis stars and fostering a love for the sport.  Increasing Junior Participation TTC strongly believes that children can benefit physically and mentally from playing sport and can learn social and physical skills that will serve them for life. We plan to increase junior participation in the following ways once capacity restrictions are removed.

• School outreach programme to allow local schools access to the club facilities including coaching during the school day. Local junior schools do not have their own tennis courts;
• Extend the junior coaching programs;
• Increase tennis camp participation, which is currently constrained by court availability;
• A healthy junior base provides the foundation for future growth of TTC.

3. Enhance Coaching Accessibility: Gary Oates and his team of coaches run holiday camps and give parents time off over the holidays! As you can see how popular they are, and we have a waiting list—with our new court, we can get more kids to play and have fun.  Most coaching programs are currently oversubscribed with no ability to increase supply due to too few courts. Coaching is restricted to 2 of the existing 3 courts to allow regular member play. We're committed to increasing the number of adults and juniors participating in coaching programs by 75%, making tennis coaching more accessible than ever.

4. Maintain Affordability: We're dedicated to keeping membership fees and pay-and-play rates affordable, ensuring tennis remains accessible to all.  Affordability will lead to more participation and a thriving club. Twyford tennis club is lucky to have a successful coaching set up which generates a cash surplus and allows us to keep the price of membership fees below those of some other local clubs.

5. Improve Accessibility: We're striving to increase disabled accessibility and court usage, making Twyford Tennis Club a welcoming space for everyone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our longer-term objective is to continue to be a strong, diverse, and inclusive tennis club that is an asset to our members and local community.  All club members and the wider community will benefit from four well maintained and illuminated courts.  

Lasting friendships, socialising and being a great place to play friendly and inclusive tennis is what Twyford Tennis Club is all about. Plus, the added benefit of providing a facility that aids and benefits physical and mental health.

Your Contribution Matters: By contributing to our crowdfunding campaign, you're not just investing in a tennis club; you're investing in the future of our community. Together, we can transform Twyford Tennis Club into a thriving hub of tennis excellence, camaraderie, and joy.

Keep reading below to find out how to collaborate! 

HOW CAN YOU PLAY YOUR PART? 

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge today. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages now and spread the word. The more people we reach the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Are you a local business? You can pledge a reward by donating things we can offer to our supporters.  For example, a food/drink voucher, a beauty treatment, experience,  massage, homemade cake, babysitting, language tuition, tickets for a premiership football club, personal training session, racquet restring, haircut and blow dry, Pilates session. Contact us and we will help you organise it.  And of course, we will give you a HUGE shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Let's ace this campaign together!