Junior Section
Overview
The Club has a very active Junior section with ages ranging from 5 to 18 years old. Coaching is provided on Saturday mornings and after school on Tuesdays, and Wednesdays during term time for all standards of players, from beginners upwards. Anyone who wants to play tennis and thinks they may wish to join the Club is welcome to call in and arrange to attend one or more of these sessions.
Juniors are encouraged to take part in Junior and Adult Club competitions, the 'Play your way to Wimbledon' tournament in which the two most successful players go through to the County finals and events held at other local clubs. Competitions are run in the holidays such as American tournaments. The Club also enters U18, U14 and Mini Tennis teams in the Halstead Summer and Winter Leagues according to the numbers and abilities of the players available.
Whilst competition is seen as a healthy culmination of the training given, the main emphasis is on providing an environment in which Junior players develop their tennis skills and above all enjoy themselves.
Junior Section Coaching
Coaching for all abilities takes place on Saturday mornings from 9am – 12.00 pm and after school on Tuesdays from 4.30pm - 7pm with Kath Welsh and her team of volunteer coaches. Our team of volunteers are all trained in Safeguarding, First Aid and are DBS certified. If you haven’t attended any sessions yet and would like to join in then just turn up to a session and speak to Kath, John or Bryan or give Kath a call on 01621 892816.
We recommend that your child comes along to a few sessions to see if they enjoy it before then joining the club. Please see the 'Membership' page for details on how to join.
On a Wednesday from 4pm - 7pm Steve Taylor our LTA Coach runs a number of coaching sessions for varying abilities including Orange, Red and Green ball, under 14's and under 18's. If you would like more information from Steve you can contact him on 07779 599767 email: taylormadetennis@live.com
If you would like to compete in tournaments outside the Club there are often several being organised in the Colchester and Chelmsford areas – from mini red tournaments to Under 18 – so please ask the coaches for details.
Parental Involvement
Junior coaching sessions have become increasingly popular over the past year which is a testament to the hard work put in by the coaches. Parents too have a very important role to play in the development of their children’s tennis skills, particularly in the younger age groups. We do have some parent volunteers, who are much appreciated, but we would like more. If you are a parent or another adult member who can spare some time on an occasional or regular basis then please speak to Kath, John or Bryan.
Safeguarding
WBTC is committed to prioritising the well-being of all children including all programmes and events we run. We strive to minimise risk, deliver a positive tennis experience for everyone and respond appropriately to all safeguarding concerns/disclosures, promoting safeguarding in our club at all times.
Our welfare officer is: Jenny Cooper 07946 518614.
To view a copy of our safeguarding statement and policy please refer to the club’s safeguarding page.