Message from the Chair
 

As we usher in the month of March , I hope this letter finds you in the best of spirits and health. With the winter chill still lingering, it's heartening to see our dedicated members braving the cold to continue their passion for tennis. Your commitment is truly commendable and serves as an inspiration to us all.

Exciting updates and events are in store for our beloved tennis community this month, and I am thrilled to share them with you:

Open Day – Sunday 21 April 10am – 1pm:

 

As we strive to grow and strengthen our tennis community, we encourage our existing members to spread the word about the benefits of joining our club. Whether it's inviting friends, family, or colleagues, every new member contributes to the vibrancy and diversity of our tennis family. All Adults and Juniors (of all ages and standards including beginners are welcome). The event will include free coaching, Exhibition match, Junior fun tournament, BBQ and lots more …. Please could we have some volunteers to assist us with  the planning and assist the club on the day - Please email committee@bftc.club if your able to assist - Greatly appreciated .  

Upcoming Tournaments: Mark your calendars for our upcoming tournaments, including the eagerly anticipated Club Championship & Dot Burgin cup. Stay tuned for further details regarding registration, schedules, and exciting prizes!

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support and enthusiasm. Your passion for the sport and dedication to our club are the driving forces behind our success, and I am honored to serve as your chair.

As always, your feedback and suggestions are invaluable to us. Please feel free to reach out to me or any member of the committee with any ideas or concerns you may have.

Wishing you all a month filled with love, joy, and plenty of memorable moments on the court.

Warm regards, Jill

Membership Renewals.

 

Our forthcoming Membership renewal 1st April 2024 to 30th March 2025 reminder.

We sent out membership invitations at the beginning of March 2024 which were sent directly to your inbox for commencement of the new season from the 1st April 2024. You can access the rates on our website under membership. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write to membership@bftc.club

By pressing the join now button on the website under membership indicates to us that you wish to re-join however this is not connected to your bank details. To pay electronically please send your membership fees to:

Payments can be made electronically to the club’s Account no: 49046077 Sort Code 09-01-28. Please ensure that the members name is used as the payments reference.

Our visitor policy reminder

Visitors are welcome to accompany a member for a fee (there is a visitors’ book left in the club house that must be completed by the members for Health & Safety reasons). Members are responsible for signing the book and making the visitors payments by bank transfer to the above account.

Adults £2.00: Juniors £1.00. This is not intended for regular court use or for club socials. Only for a maximum of 4 times a year.

 

Club Championship finals Dates 2024

The date(s) for the Championship have now been confirmed. They are Saturday 7th September, with a reserve day if required of Sunday 8th. These dates apply to both adults & Juniors. By giving this notice so far in advance we hope that all participants in the tournament will be aware that they are available should they reach this stage. This will hopefully help plan your diaries.

 

Dot Burgin Cup date -  Sunday 2nd June 2024

 

Friendlies

 

As a new initiative for the coming year the club are looking to co-ordinate friendlies for improver groups and newer members. This will involve neighbouring clubs who have made it known they would be interested in such a venture. Our administrator Danny with the help of club coach(phil) will come back in due course once further discussions are had with more information.

What would help at this stage is anyone interested in playing these matches (male or female) that they contact the committee email address: committee@btfc.club  and make known their interest.

 

Socials

 

All adult members were sent a WhatsApp recently to choose a preferred time they wished Wednesday social to commence. There have been a few comments had about this previously, so we thought it was time to take views on board. The current start time is 5.30pm. 5pm, 6pm, & 6.30pm are the alternatives suggested. Please take this opportunity to have your say. Result will be communicated this month when we close the Poll on the 11th March at 5pm. 

 

Times for Friday morning and Saturday afternoon socials have been updated on the website.   

 

Friday social is now 9.30-12pm as per agreed with the committee autumn 2023.

 

Saturday social times have been adjusted in terms of court usage. Instead of all 5 courts allocated for social between 1-5pm this now only applies to courts 1-3, with courts 4 & 5 having a 1-3pm timeframe. Freeing up those courts for other use from 3pm.  

 

Forthcoming Events

In the next couple of weeks we will also be publishing a full run down of this year’s activities so that people will know well in advance to plan their own involvement for competitions and other events at the club.

 

Defibrillator

As you will know no doubt agree the Defibrillator is a very important piece of kit. Its location will be updated in the next issue of the village directory (to add to others in the village). The committee will be seeking some members to have Defibrillator training, if you are interested, please contact the committee via the above email address.

 

Coaching 

Phill , Our Coach will be doing a discounted rate at £ 30.00 normally £ 45.00 per hour  from 1 March till 31 March  2024.

Please contact Phil directly on

Phil@everyball.net or pmhttennisservices@gmail.com

 mobile : +447900107953

 

On Saturday 10th February we ran an LTA Team Challenge tournament day. All Saturday coaching groups (from 9-1pm) participated in a respective round robin tournament with all the competitors receiving prizes! It was a really successful event and a lovely way for the kids to have fun whilst participating in some light-hearted competition.

 

Also, the Juniors have been competing in the LTA Youth Herts Winter League across all age groups - from U8’s mixed through to U18 Girls. This has been great experience of learning how to play matches, having fun while competing against different clubs and players of their age. 

The coaching programme at BFTC is designed to suit those of all ages and experience levels:

 ADULTS

 

Beginner/Rusty Rackets

 

Monday: 1-2pm

 

If you are new to tennis (or you have not played for a while and fancy dusting off the rackets) … come and give it go!

 

Intermediates/ Improvers

 

Wednesday:10.30-11.30am

 

For those who attend social play sessions on Saturdays and Sundays or have some tennis experience and want to hone their doubles skills.

 

Phil’s Drills  on Wednesday’s is no longer running as it was proving difficult to get 4 regular attendees, so Phil is now doing Men’s Team Practice at that time.