By Amber Allen, Third Year English
It’s been fantastic to see the Tennis Club flourish this term, so we have taken time to reflect upon the supreme successes of the start of the season. The club offers professional indoor coaching to Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Squad, Advanced Team and BUCS players.
As a Gold SU club, we consistently promote our strong social values by creating a welcoming environment for everyone involved in the club. Membership has increased nearly 25% to 311 members this year; this reflects all the great opportunities Tennis Club has to offer! With the club thriving, we've put together 10 best things about tennis!
1. Affordable membership
One of the club’s greatest strengths is that we do not turn anyone away. We have memberships ranging from social to BUCS performance sport. Our cheapest membership is £10 for two sessions a week, marking tennis as one of the most accessible sports societies at Bristol.
Our performance athletes can access up to six sessions a week, as well as Strength and Conditioning, sports psychology and nutrition advice, one-to-one sessions with our Head Coach, a match top and regular team meetings for only £130. We have £50, £80 and £100 memberships in between, increasing proportionately with the amount of court time and coaching. We are extremely proud of our ever-improving deal!
2. Community Outreach- Charity, Environment and International
Conscious of the environmental impact of Welcome Fair, we gave out small business cards with a QR code as opposed to large printed leaflets. We also continuously engage in charity action. We’ve been fundraising for Mind by supporting some of our members embarking on a hitchhike to Berlin(!) and last year at Ignit10n we raised £981.27 for mental health services, 11% of the total raised across the university.
Our Well-being and Diversity officer, Adam, worked with the Global Lounge at the SU to put in place taster sessions for international students to help them get involved in the Bristol community.
Next year, we are launching a ‘Tennis Talks’ programme to encourage open discussion about well-being in sport as well as supporting a mental health and tennis programme running at Redland Green.
3. Gender Equality – This Girl Can
Gender inequality in sport is an extremely important issue nationwide. We are eager to promote female participation and actively run events for those who identify as women. With empowering events such as ‘This Girl Can’ and a new women-only session in the New Year, we look forward to female membership increasing.
4. Socials
UBTC is especially successful in fostering an incredibly friendly environment. BUCS Team, Advanced and Social members all integrate, which is rare in sports clubs. We have a staggering 80 tickets sold for our club wide Christmas meal this year.
It is imperative that we foster a strong social scene, so members feel a part of a community. This is aided by our successful family scheme where new members are given ‘parents’ who cook meals for them and message them about upcoming events.
Alongside weekly Sports Night, in the last two years we have paid special attention to non-alcoholic socials, organising trampolining, beach trips, paintballing, movie nights, laser tag and a bike ride to Bath. We offer a wide variety of social opportunities so that we cater for our wide variety of members. Our committee is exceptionally approachable and always has a strong presence at events.
5. Tennis On Campus
Elsewhere in the club we offer TouchTennis to anyone in the University as part of SEH’s
B:Active campus programme. These sessions are held from 3.30-5pm every Tuesday and are a great way to sample a fast pace, reaction focused version of the game.
Our B:Active residences sessions have become increasingly popular over the last 2 years. Each week Ravi, our Coaching and Volunteering Officer, runs sessions at the Wills and Goldney courts. These sessions are free for anyone living in halls, so encourage lots of students to get involved with an active, sporty lifestyle!
6. Intramural
The club has a large presence in intramural leagues. For £7.50 you can be put in a Tennis league with other students of your ability and organise a time for your matches throughout the term. Members of the club also have the opportunity to compete for the Tennis Netball (TennisNet) and Tennis Football intramural teams.
TennisNet have been unbeaten since their inception in early 2018 and currently sit at the top of the intramural division with 5 wins from 5. Tennis FC are joint top of their league 3, with 5 wins from 5. Our intramural activities strengthen our social offer, giving members the opportunity to involve themselves in more than just tennis.
7. BUCS and Advanced
We have a thriving Advanced Squad that trains competitively and feeds players into the BUCS Teams throughout the year. The Advanced Team and Squad has nearly doubled in size this season marking the depth of performance players at UoB. Advanced Men’s and Women’s Teams participate in a mix of competitive and friendly events including regular weekend matches in the Fast Four Development League.
On the BUCS side, last year the men’s 1s had a stellar season, reaching the playoffs. The 2s dominated their league and the 3s are currently in good stead; it’s looking like we will see the 1s and 2s being in the same league next year. The team always train with maximum intensity and the turnout is starting to step up with team members rarely missing training.
The teams always train with maximum intensity
Our women’s 1s team boasts international players who compete in the premier league. Last year, we were incredibly close to being promoted to the top division. The 2s compete in the division below and the 3s are on the path to promotion this year into the same division as the 2s.
The various teams all train together and we are well on our way to striking the best possible balance of performance, competition and a friendly environment.
We are incredibly fortunate to have Ali Blackett as our professional Head Coach, something few sports clubs are able to offer. We are also investing in a second performance coach to give our top teams more professional attention. Ollie has commented on how Ali brings ‘a fun and professional environment to court with all players enjoying every training session’. This sentiment is shared by all members of the club.
8. Fundraising via Percent
We have partnered with Percent for a quick and easy way to fundraise. This involves people linking their card to Percent, following UBTC as their cause and spending money at local retailers; these businesses give a percentage of what is spent back to us, and we use the money raised to improve the experience of our members.
After running a hugely successful stall handing out free chocolate for those who signed up, we have raised £69.02 with 114 followers. Percent has also been a great platform for keeping alumni involved in fundraising for the club.
9. Sponsorship
We have been hugely successful with Sponsorship this season thanks to our Sponsorship Officer, Amber Allen. We have secured a shirt sponsor: the online travel retailer On The Beach. We have also partnered with Windsor based company All Things Tennis who are able to offer our members subsidised equipment. In 2020, we are organising a racket demo day with All Things Tennis!
10. UoB Tennis link
UBTC work closely with the UOB Tennis Team who are responsible for the delivery and development of tennis at Coombe, providing opportunities for students, staff and the public. Andy Trott, UOB Director of Tennis – “UBTC is one of the largest sports club at UOB, it is also one of the largest University Tennis Clubs in the UK.
The UOB Tennis Team and UBTC committee are working on a proactive recruitment strategy to attract even more talented athletes from around the world to study and train at UOB. The student tennis programme at UOB is one of the most comprehensive in the UK and provides students with the opportunity to train, compete, gain subsidised qualifications, work experience, mentoring, paid work and so much more.
Tennis is a multi-dimensional sport with so many opportunities and the UBTC committee are committed to delivering the best possible student experience for their members and the wider student population”.
The thriving social atmosphere coupled with the club’s strong sporting performance makes Tennis one of the best sports to get involved with at the University. Students leave Bristol and the Tennis Club with countless happy memories and sporting achievements to be proud of. Check out our Facebook group ‘University of Bristol Tennis’ to find out how you can get involved in the biggest active sports club in Bristol!
Featured Image: UBTC
Let us know your favourite thing about tennis, or your own sports club, down below!
