Twyford Tennis Club: Build New Court & Floodlights

Who are we?

Welcome to Twyford Tennis Club (TTC), where passion for tennis meets community spirit!

Nestled in the heart of Berkshire, TTC is more than just a tennis club—it's a hub for families, friends, and tennis enthusiasts of all ages. We are a thriving club with just under 300 members. Our community encompasses individuals from as young as 4 to as wise as 85, reflecting the diverse tapestry of our village. 

You can read more about us on our website https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/twyfordtennisclub

Established in 1939

This year we are celebrating 85 years, established in 1939, and in March we were honoured with Twyford Community Group of the year. Our Chairman, Jamie, received the award on behalf of the whole membership in an awards ceremony.

Why are we crowdfunding?

TTC’s success in recent years means that it cannot meet current demand for tennis. We are at maximum capacity.

Over the next five years, we've set ambitious goals to make tennis more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone in Twyford. 

With your support, we can:

1. Build a new floodlit court.

2. Upgrade the lighting in two further courts - our outdated floodlights are in dire need of an upgrade, ensuring safe and enjoyable play during winter months.  You can see below how poor our floodlights are!

3. Add a hitting wall for members and public to perfect their shots.

Maximum Capacity

Only having 3 courts severely hampers our ability to provide tennis facilities to everyone who wants to play.  

• Members and public are not able to book courts during coaching sessions and kids’ tennis camps. Kid’s tennis camps and coaching sessions are over-subscribed with many kids missing out.
• Limited court availability at match times on weekend mornings. 
• During busy club nights and match practice sessions there are often people waiting to play which discourages more players attending club nights.
• Limited evening court availability limits the amount of group play sessions that can be organised. 
• The club currently restricts the booking hours available to non-members to daytime use to reduce overcrowding at peak times. 
•  TTC currently has about 100 members per court compared to the LTA recommendation of 60 
• Existing sodium halide floodlights are very poor quality and limit winter use. Many members do not feel comfortable or even safe playing under floodlight.  

Conclusion

• One extra court would significantly reduce the current restrictions and allow TTC to actively recruit new members and increase access to the public on a pay and play basis.

But it is VERY EXPENSIVE.  The club and the LTA via a loan will contribute a significant portion of the investment but we NEED YOUR HELP to make up the shortfall and enable the project to move forward. 

To facilitate the work this year and ensure we are operational for the new season we need your help to raise £6500.00

Our Target

The target for the crowdfunding campaign is £6,500.00.

Thank you for your support!

UPDATE

WE have some good news from Sport England.

If we achieve our target of £6500 Sport England and the National Lottery will award us £3250  to support our crowdfunding for our new court and lights. 

Please help us achieve our target of £6500. We are nearly there! 

How we’ll spend the money raised

All the money raised will go directly towards the cost of building the new court and upgrading the floodlights.

The committee and club has already worked very hard for the project and obtained the planning permission required. The consent was achieved on 13 January 2023 - erection of an additional tennis court with fencing, new floodlights system to block of 3 courts and rebound fences to single court.

We are in the process of selecting a contractor and continue to build up the club funds by running multiple fundraising events.  A picture below of our successful cake sale and open day. 

Next comes the exciting part! Once we have a contractor, we  will then level the ground, and ensuring proper drainage to prevent water accumulation. Install a sturdy base to provide a stable foundation. Then, mark the court boundaries and install the net posts and net. Finally, apply a durable surface coating to the playing area, ensuring it meets regulation standards for bounce and traction. Regular maintenance, including cleaning, repairs, and resurfacing, will keep the court in top condition for years of enjoyment.

Last but not least, then install additional LED sustainable lighting for three of the four courts.

The Club clearly recognises that there are many competing and well deserving requests for funding, both locally within our community, nationally and globally but we very much hope you are able to support this exciting initiative.

If we don't raise all the money we intend to or we raise more than our target we will still use it all for our project. 

Community impact

TTC is on a mission to modernise, expand, and better serve our vibrant community. 

In Partnership with Parkers

Parkers, Estate Agents is proudly supporting us in our ambitious goal of raising funds for a new tennis court and new lights—an incredible effort with lasting benefits for the entire Twyford community.

1. Right-Size and Modernise Facilities

We aim to remove capacity restrictions, ensuring greater access to tennis for residents of all ages.

2. Boost Junior Participation

Our goal is to double the number of junior members by 2028, nurturing the next generation of tennis stars and fostering a love for the sport.

Increasing Junior Participation TTC strongly believes that children can benefit physically and mentally from playing sport and can learn social and physical skills that will serve them for life. We plan to increase junior participation in the following ways once capacity restrictions are removed.

• School outreach programme to allow local schools access to the club facilities including coaching during the school day. Local junior schools do not have their own tennis courts.
• Extend the junior coaching programs.
• Increase tennis camp participation, which is currently constrained by court availability.
• A healthy junior base provides the foundation for future growth of TTC.

3. Enhance Coaching Accessibility 

• Gary Oates and his team of coaches run holiday camps and give parents time off over the holidays! As you can see how popular they are, and we have a waiting list—with our new court, we can get more kids to play and have fun. 
• Most coaching programs are currently oversubscribed with no ability to increase supply due to too few courts. Coaching is restricted to 2 of the existing 3 courts to allow regular member play. 
• We're committed to increasing the number of adults and juniors participating in coaching programs by 75%, making tennis coaching more accessible than ever.

4. Maintain Affordability

• We're dedicated to keeping membership fees and pay-and-play rates affordable, ensuring tennis remains accessible to all. Affordability will lead to more participation and a thriving club. 
• Twyford tennis club is lucky to have a successful coaching set up which generates a cash surplus and allows us to keep the price of membership fees below those of some other local clubs.

5. Improve Accessibility

We're striving to increase disabled accessibility and court usage, making TTC a welcoming space for everyone.

Conclusion

Our longer-term objective is to continue to be a strong, diverse, and inclusive club that is an asset to our members and local community.  All club members and the wider community will benefit from four well maintained and illuminated courts.  

Lasting Friendships

Lasting friendships, socialising and being a great place to play friendly and inclusive tennis is what Twyford Tennis Club is all about.  Plus, the added benefit of providing a facility that aids and benefits physical and mental health.

Your Contribution Matters: By contributing to our crowdfunding campaign, you're not just investing in a tennis club; you're investing in the future of our community.

 Together, we can transform TTC into a thriving hub of tennis excellence, camaraderie, and joy.

Thank you for your support!

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. Please share with your followers: our instagram is @twyfordtennisclub and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TwyfordTennisClub

3. OFFER REWARDS. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. For example, a food/drink voucher, a beauty treatment, experience, massage, homemade cake, babysitting, language tuition, tickets for a premiership football club, personal training session, racquet restring, haircut and blow dry, Pilates session. Click “contact project” on the project page and we will help you organise it. 

And of course, we will give you a HUGE 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!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Let's ace this campaign together!

WE have some fantastic news from Sport England.

WE have some good news from Sport England.

If we achieve our target of £6500 Sport England and the National Lottery will award us £3250  to support our crowdfunding for our new court and lights. 

Please help us achieve our target of £6500. We are nearly there!