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Search forTennis: Crawley looking towards a bright future
Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 08:39
Twelve new junior members have been signed up at the club in the last three weeks, an unusual spike in numbers for the time of year that can be explained by the British number one's recent victory at the Madrid Masters tournament.
In a further boost to the Three Bridges-based club, they have achieved the prestigious Lawn Tennis Association Clubmark, a recognition from the sport's governing body that it has met "excellent standards".
The award is effectively a stamp of approval from the LTA and Sport England, substantially improving a club's chances of attracting funding and of bringing in new members.
It should also help Crawley sustain their current healthy flow of fresh faces and head coach Nigel Allingham was full of praise for the efforts of the club committee in bringing the Clubmark to fruition.
"The Clubmark shows that all the hard work that people have put into the club has been channelled in the right direction," he said.
"We are one of the first clubs of our size to achieve the Clubmark nationwide, as most of the others are multisport clubs with squash or badminton [facilities]."
Much of the work involved in securing the Clubmark has been done by club manager Jackie Doherty, with help from Bob Manning, and she explained that having the LTA's official endorsement would help Crawley LTC accomplish its ambitions for further growth.
"We are hoping to make some improvements to the club," she revealed.
"We would like additional floodlighting, a new dome to cover three courts rather than two and to make major investment in our community tennis programme.
"The Clubmark will help us attract funding for these projects."
Crawley LTC already work with local schools to give children a taste of tennis.
And with many schools and school sport partnerships now requiring the clubs they work with to have the LTA Clubmark, Crawley are well placed to attract even more young players to their junior ranks.
And who knows? Maybe the next Andy Murray is on our doorstep.
Mark of quality: Crawley Lawn Tennis Club's head coach Nigel Allingham (second from left) and club manager Jackie Doherty (third from left) accept the LTA's Clubmark accreditation from Liz Squires of Tennis Sussex and talent performance co-ordinator for Sussex Keith Pullin RCNNF231008-I-02 by Nick ffrench
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