Huge congratulations to our Head Coach, Alice Robson, who has been named ‘Coach of the Year for 2019’ at the recent LTA Yorkshire Tennis Awards, alongside Club Chairman, Don Saul, who was awarded ‘Volunteer of the Year’.
The awards recognise the winners’ outstanding contributions to grassroots tennis in Yorkshire, and both Alice and Don fought off stiff competition to win the recognition they undoubtedly deserve for their parts in transforming Ackworth Tennis Club from a club on the verge of extinction at the start of 2018 to the flourishing, inclusive club it has become.
“I doubt that there is any other Club in the country that has experienced the membership growth that Ackworth Tennis Club has achieved - from 17 to 130 in 18 months” explains Richard Garrett CEO of BECSLink in association with The Tim Henman Foundation who compiled the award nomination for Don.
“This is down to the quality of the leadership and the coaching. Don Saul and Alice Robson need particular praise. They have embraced change and external partnerships with Ackworth School, Yorkshire Tennis, The Tim Henman Foundation and BECSLink.”
Don’s leadership was recognised by the award panel as being instrumental in helping to convert the club into an inclusive, diverse and dynamic organisation. Giving freely of his time and energy, Don has worked tirelessly with a myriad of partners to develop the club and its links within the local community.
Having taken over as Chairman at the start of 2018, he was instrumental in the appointment of Alice as a Level 3 coach, in conjunction with Ackworth School, Yorkshire Tennis, the Tim Henman Foundation and BECSLlink. This has proved pivotal in the Club’s turnaround, boosting membership and allowing for the provision of a comprehensive coaching programme.
A true champion of ‘Tennis Opened Up’, Don has worked with the LTA Disability Officer to ensure that courts are wheelchair accessible, and forging community links with College Lane Surgery in Ackworth he is currently working to develop an innovative social prescription pilot scheme, to help patients with health challenges move from medication to exercise.
Presenting Alice with her Coach of the Year award, Adrian Waites announced, "Alice has been the inspiration behind a remarkable turnaround in the levels of tennis participation at the club”.
In the 18 months since her appointment as Head Coach, Alice has established a coaching programme from scratch, embracing the full suite of LTA courses, and now involving nearly half of the Club’s members. Over 100 children have been introduced to tennis through the LTA ‘Tennis for kids’ programme and over 30 adults through ’Tennis Xpress’.
Her community work has introduced tennis activity to over 2,000 school children at 17 local Primary schools, and she has supported the development of 2 further coaches at the Club.
Working closely with the club committee she has organised 5 Open Days attended by over 300 people and has been instrumental in developing competitive play at the club with the introduction of Ladder Leagues, Internal Competitions and Team Challenge events with other clubs in the Wakefield area.
We’d like to thank both Alice and Don for their tremendous contributions to Ackworth Tennis Club and wish them continued success in 2020.