Launching our Junior Performance Programmes

We have been successfully running our junior tennis and squash coaching programmes for a couple of years and are excited to be able to announce a new element – our Performance Programme. The aim of the programme is to provide an accelerated junior coaching route at Club Towers for those youngsters who want to devote more time to their tennis or squash and compete regularly – locally and regionally. The programme will provide additional encouragement and support to juniors who demonstrate the desire, talent and application to become (at least) County standard players. The way it will work is described below. Note the existing Club Towers coaching programmes will continue as currently, and we hope will feed players into the Performance Programme.

The squash and tennis programmes will operate slightly differently, and the squash programme will be formally launched shortly. The tennis programme is described in more detail below.

Who is it for?

We will invite juniors onto the programme who, in our opinion, fulfil the necessary criteria. They must:

• Be committed to their tennis, demonstrating good learning attitudes when on court.
• Show the talent (through current results in competitions) or the potential to attain at least County standard.
• Be prepared to enter internal and external competitions and invest time in playing to help their improvement.

Initially, we have invited only a small number of players but we hope this number will increase over time.

What will it involve?

The programme will run on an annual basis, from September through to July. Tennis juniors on the Performance programme will:

• Receive two group coaching sessions per week for around 38 weeks (school year dependent). These sessions will focus on racquet skills, movement and fitness.
• Receive nine individual 1-2-1 coaching sessions per year – one per month except December, July and August.
• Be expected to compete on a regular basis in both internal and external competitions – a minimum of 4 external competitions per year.

We also plan to offer video analysis as part of some sessions, and some of the fitness sessions may take place in the gym in the future rather than on court.

Note that our coaching philosophy will not change for this programme. We believe sport should be fun! Therefore, our coaching, training and playing sessions aim to keep this at the forefront of everyone’s minds at all times. At the same time, we expect our junior members on these programmes to “work” hard, devote sufficient time to their tennis, and exhibit good learning attitudes.

Obtaining a place on the programme for one year, does not guarantee a place the following year. Juniors will be expected to demonstrate the required application, enthusiasm and progress through the year, and all potential candidates will be reassessed on their merits each summer.

How will it be funded?

The programme will be jointly funded by parents, the Club and sponsors. We will ask parents to contribute, but the cost will not be dramatically more than our other coaching programmes (and the amount of coaching received will be substantially more). We are currently seeking a sponsor for the programme and hope to make an announcement shortly. The Club will fund everything not paid for by the parents and the sponsor, and this will be a significant investment.

What happens if my child is not selected?

If you think your child would value a place on the programme, please do speak to one of our coaching team (Nick, Lewis, or Alison) about this and they will be able to advise why your child was not chosen and what they need to do to be included next year.

We hope you are as excited as us about this new programme. Over the next few years we hope to produce some outstanding tennis and squash players that love their racquet sports, and can act as role models for our younger juniors coming through our programmes.