Who are we?
The Connaught Club is a Community Amateur Sport Club (CASC) located within the beautiful surroundings of Epping Forest in North Chingford. The Club has been in existence since 1885 and has a long and proud history. Over the years many famous players have graced its Courts including Rod Laver, Virginia Wade, and Emma Raducanu, just before she went on to win the US Open. Throughout its history it has maintained a reputation as a centre of excellence for Tennis.
Why are we crowdfunding?
The Connaught wants to maintain its reputation as a leading Tennis Club and to offer the best environment to develop junior talent as well as great playing opportunities for all of its members.
That involves investing in the courts. The Tennis Committee is asking you to be part of our plan to upgrade two courts to RedPlus, the next generation of playing surfaces.
RedPlus courts, already in use at the LTA in Roehampton and in Birmingham and at top facilities across the world including the Monte Carlo Country Club and the Mouratoglou Academy offer;
- All-weather play – no more long interruptions due to rain or maintenance. It is a year-round surface.
- Long term savings – a 10-year guarantee means reduced upkeep costs
- A world-class experience – for our Academy programme players, our Juniors and for all our members.
To make this happen we need your help to raise £100,000.
The first fundraising event will take place on the weekend of 17th/18th May with a sponsored Tennis Marathon led by none other than our dedicated coaches, Andrew and Dan. The Tennis Marathon will coincide with the Club’s Open Day when we will also be on hand to talk about our plans for the new courts.
How we’ll spend the money raised
The Club will spend the money raised on 2 brand new state of the art playing surfaces. The cost of each court is in excess of £50,000. This is beyond the means of a Community Amateur Sports Club, hence this essential fundraising.
Community impact
The Connaught has been in existence since 1885 providing sporting facilities to the local area and beyond. The Club is situated in the heart of Epping Forest with easy access to local communities. With upgraded facilities we intend to be here for another 140 years! The Club provides junior tennis groups 6 days of the week and currently has over 150 juniors improving tennis skills, making friends and most importantly having fun in a safe, welcoming environment.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. 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 and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a 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. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!