Caerphilly Tennis Club

If you follow CTC on Twitter you will already know that we are part of the Tennis Wales Sytner MINI Schools Tour 2016. Our involvement in this exciting project will see CTC: deliver free tennis taster sessions to over 1,300 Reception-Year 2 pupils in 6 Caerphilly schools and 5 schools in the Ystrad Mynach area, host a free festival for each location and invite all players from the taster sessions to attend, and then have a fantastic introductory offer at the festivals to help players continue their tennis at their selected venue.

• The event at Caerphilly Tennis Club will take place on Saturday 12th March from 3pm to 5pm. Attendees will be able to sign up for membership ahead the new season and receive 3 free coaching lessons!
• While the event at Ystrad Mynach (held at Sue Noakes LC) will take place two weeks later on Saturday 26th March between 11am and 1pm. Those who attend this festival will be able to pay in advance for 5 lessons in April for just £5!

For more information please follow the links: project details, CTC festival, Ystrad Tennis festival. And as always, for updates on the tennis tasters and festivals make sure you connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. If you are a school, player or parent that has any queries then please contact Head Coach Jonathan Morgan on jonathanmorgan@caerphillytennis.co.uk or 07891 640642.

To celebrate Great Britain’s Davis Cup first round match against Japan, over the weekend of 4th-6th March 2016, we are hosting an afternoon of fun team competition for all. The LTA have teamed with Benenden to offer 4 fun competitions for all ages throughout the year, with the first being held to mark the first match for GB since they lifted the Davis Cup trophy back in November.

CTC will host our double event in the afternoon of Saturday 5th March 2016, where players will be split into 2 large teams and play singles as well as doubles matches to win points for their team. At the end of each event, the team with the most points will win as well as plenty of prizes being handed out!
The Mini Tennis (Red, Orange and Green) event will take place from 3pm to 4:30pm, for which we are also encouraging parents to get on court and play in this relaxed format.
Then Teen and Adult players will have their chance to compete for their teams in their event from 4:30pm to 6pm.

There is a £2 entry fee for every entrant which will help to cover the light refreshments on offer. CTC will also follow the LTA’s lead and donate £1 from every entrant to Sport Relief.

More information on these events can be found in the event poster here and on display at the Club. If you have any questions, please contact Head Coach Jon.

Ahead of the new season it is time for the Club’s Annual General Meeting which is open for all to attend. This year’s A.G.M will take place on Thursday 3rd March 2016 at 7pm in the clubhouse.

We are looking to select a committee for the forthcoming 2016/17 season.There are several officers seeking re-election in their current roles plus the opportunity for new volunteers to join us with a few extra and vacant roles, including: Chairperson, Welfare Officer, Membership Secretary, Fundraising Officer, Event Co-ordinator and Volunteer Co-ordinator. There are also chances to help on a less formal or less frequent basis especially as we undergo the works at the Club in the coming months, but interest should be expressed at the A.G.M.

So if you have the skills and/or experience that could help us as a Club, or are interested in learning about how you could help then please attend the evening. If you are unable to attend but want to get involved, please contact Head Coach Jonathan Morgan. More information on this year’s A.G.M can be found in the event poster here.

After our very own Head Coach Jonathan Morgan won the Community Coach of the Year award at the annual Sport Caerphilly Awards evening held at Bryn Meadows this past Tuesday (26th January 2016), we thought we would ask him a few questions. And who better to quiz him than his younger brother and fellow CTC coach Andrew Morgan.

Andrew (AM): “First off congratulations on your award and being the first CTC coach to receive an award for outstanding work in the community and for the sport. Having worked with you on a lot of the work over the past few years it is fully deserved. Seeing as there were no speeches on the night and you love a speech, what would yours have been?”

Jonathan (JM): “Love a speech, haha! Ummm… Maybe something along the lines of: ‘Wow. Thank you. This is my first time attending such an evening let alone picking up an award! 2015 was the best year for me as a coach and also a significant one for Caerphilly Tennis Club and I am honoured to have such work recognised by my colleagues and peers. I must thank all of the CTC committee, volunteers, coaches and leaders, players and parents plus Sport Caerphilly and Tennis Wales. Also, congrats to the other nominees within this category, all of whom could’ve easily been instead of me. Again, thank you.'”

AM: “Everyone at the Club knows 2015 was a huge year for all involved and you said it was the best year for you as a coach, could you just recap why?”

JM: “Ok. There’s a lot but I’ll try and break it down. January and February saw me complete and pass my level 3 coaching qualification. March was of course the CTC25 Tennisthon where I played tennis for 25 continuous hours to close out the Club’s 25^th anniversary season and raise nearly £700 for Velindre. I was officially named Head Coach in April and May saw new sessions added to the coaching schedule as I tried to address some gaps in our programme. Our schools tennis work was in full flow during June, continuing into July where we also launched our Ystrad Tennis outreach programme in the park. August was non-stop tennis during the summer holidays, topped with our annual Summer Finale which was one of the best. September I qualified as a Cardio Tennis instructor [which will be launching at CTC in the coming weeks!]. We held our first Club Forum in October which was another new idea we tested to a positive reaction and we started the club development work behind the scenes. November saw us host a family quiz night which was very successful and then of course we closed out the year with Christmas celebrations for our whole Junior section.”

AM: “Certainly a lot happened in the last year, but what was your highlight?”

JM: “Good question for a first time interviewer. Can I just say the whole year?”

AM: “Thanks. And no.”

JM: “Tough interviewer! I suppose passing my level 3 qualification and then being named Head Coach at the Club where I have grown up playing at was definitely huge. But then CTC25 Tennisthon was just crazy [the idea, actually doing it and raising so much money for charity] but the support I received, especially during that final hour on the Sunday before the celebrations, was special. And I’m very proud of the schools programme I did last summer [getting over 1,700 individuals playing tennis in just over 10 weeks and putting foundations of lasting tennis activity into many local schools]. That would be my top 3 for 2015, is that allowed?”

AM: “Ok, I’ll let you have a top 3 then. You had to take your hat off for the first time ever and don a suit for only the second. Are you afraid of the responses from Junior players to seeing you without a hat? As we all know they firmly believe it is glued to your head!”

JM: “Yeah. That was the only downside to the whole evening and winning the award [laughs]. My cover story for my hat is well and truly blown now unless I use another story like the official photos are photo shopped [to take my hat out] or something! I did hear ‘Jon, I didn’t recognise you in a suit / without a hat’ seven times during the evening!”

AM: “Where will you keep the award now? We could do with some new silverware in our Club trophy cabinet!”

JM: “I’m sure I’ll find somewhere at home. If not then it’ll be somewhere in the Club, probably the trophy cabinet or maybe in my new look office once the work to the clubhouse has been complete!”

AM: “You could add another as you’ve also been nominated for Coach of the Year at the Tennis Wales Awards [to be held at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on 20^th February 2016]. Can you do the double – local authority and national governing body?”

JM: “Haha. It’s possible, I suppose… But as with the Sport Caerphilly awards, all of the other nominees are deserving so we will have to wait and see.”

AM: “Will you be wearing your hat to this awards evening, even though it’s another formal event?”

JM: “You know I would if I could! Maybe I’ll take it in my pocket and if I win put it on as I go to collect the award.”

AM: “So what’s next for you and CTC in 2016 and looking even further into the future?”

JM: “Well, I want to keep developing as a coach, build on the work I [and CTC] have already done, and continue to get more people into tennis through the various avenues. For the Club in general, we have the new season right around the corner which is always an exciting time but even more so as our development plan [for courts and clubhouse] picks up momentum and begins to be put into motion in the coming months.”

AM: “Yes, the 2016-17 season could be even better than this year as things are shaping up! Thanks for answering these questions. And we may find ourselves doing this again if you win Coach of the Year at the Tennis Wales Awards too!

A summary of the evening and all award winners can be found on Sport Caerphilly’s Facebook page.

The seventeenth edition of the club newsletter which looks back at November and December 2015 has been uploaded here. Copies are also available to view in the clubhouse.
This edition focuses on our very successful quiz night and Junior Christmas events, as well as the latest feedback round. And as always it includes a list of important upcoming dates and events, as well as news from the wider tennis world.

All editions of the newsletter will be uploaded to the Club Newsletter page.

Happy new year from all of us at CTC! We hope that you have enjoyed the festive break and are ready to get back on court with us.

The start of 2016 sees our coaching programme resume the week beginning Monday 4th January, with coaching sessions continuing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Junior Matchplay on Saturdays. Additions to the schedule will be made in time as the weather improves, including the return of Family Fridays. We are also looking to run another Adult Beginners course after receiving some interest recently, but need to get a group of 6-8 players before restarting. If you are interested in this course please contact Head Coach Jon, contact details below.

Our programme in Ystrad Mynach also restarts on Saturday 9th January and continues through to Easter. More information on our Ystrad Tennis outreach can be found here.

For more information on the weekly schedule and sessions, click here. If you have any questions then please contact our Head Coach Jonathan Morgan at jonathanmorgan@caerphillytennis.co.uk or 07891 640642.

The Club had a fantastic time hosting several Christmas celebrations for all groups of our Junior section last week to close out the year of tennis at CTC.

Firstly our Tots group enjoyed some festive fun in their final session of 2015. The grown ups took part in the fun and games, enjoying it as much as the children it seemed! This is the first time we have done a Tots event/party and Head Coach Jon was delighted with how it went, something the feedback from players and parents support.
Secondly, on Thursday 17th December we held a Teens Tinsel Tournament. There was some early rain (although it was still drier than last year!) and blustery winds but 4 players braved these to enjoy some Christmassy competition. Heading into the third and final round, any of the four could have won, but it was Emily who emerged as our champion. After the action the players plus coaches Jon and Andy enjoyed some fast food.
Finally, on Friday 18th December we hosted our annual Mini Tennis party. A chilly but dry evening saw 9 players come along and enjoy plenty of fun on court with coaches Jon and Andy, as well as some burgers and chips afterwards.

All players who attended each Christmas celebration took away a small present from us at CTC as a way to wish you all a happy Christmas and say thank you for the continued support throughout the whole year.   Also a big thank you to our coaches for organising and running this year’s Christmas events and to the team who cooked the food for the Mini Tennis party.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! We can’t wait to get back on court in 2016 and hope that you will be joining us again. In the mean time, make sure you follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page for updates.

We are excited to announce that our Ystrad Mynach indoor tennis sessions will continue in 2016. Sessions will restart on Saturday 9th January and run weekly up to 26th March. These take place indoors at Sue Noake Leisure Centre in Ystrad Mynach and remain at just £2 per player. Coaching for 5-8 year olds is at 11am, while the session for 8-12 years olds takes place at 12pm.

All of this information can be found in the poster, available here, but if you do have any questions please contact our Head Coach Jonathan Morgan on 07891 640642 or email jonathanmorgan@caerphillytennis.co.uk.

We would encourage all to follow us on Twitter for updates on these sessions each week and where we will be using #YstradTennis. Also like our Facebook page for news on the outreach programme as well as further Club news.

*Update – sessions will continue at Sue Noakes Leisure Centre on Saturday 2nd April and Saturday 9th April as normal. We hope to then return to Ystrad Mynach Park for the new term, with an update being posted in due course.

The Club will hold its annual Christmas events for all children who have attended coaching groups, holiday camps or other events throughout the year. After the success of separate events for Mini Tennis and Teen players last year we are doing the same again this year.

– We will host a Tinsel Tournament on Thursday 17th December from 5:30pm til 7:30pm. This is for Teen players with entry fees being £3 for members and £5 for non-members.
This will see players compete in a round robin tournament with a knockout draw to determine our champion. The evening will also include food which is TBC.

– And we will host our traditional Christmas party for all Mini Tennis players on Friday 18th December from 4:30pm til 6:30pm. Cost is £4 for members, £6 for non-members.
This will include around an hour and a half of games on court, followed by burger and chips afterwards. Brothers and sisters of players are welcome to attend too (5-12 years old).

Players attending the above events are asked to return their reply slips and payment as soon as possible to guarantee a place. These will be given out in coaching sessions over the next few weeks but are also available online (Mini Tennis and Teens).

– And not forgetting our youngest Junior players, Head Coach Jon will be doing a fun festive themed Tots Tennis session on Wednesday 16th December!

All details on our Junior Christmas events can be found in the event poster which are displayed in the clubhouse and also available to view here.

As Great Britain have reached the Davis Cup final for the first time since 1978, CTC will be celebrating the occasion as well as supporting the team as they are led by captain Leon Smith in the historic event.

• The final Family Fun Friday of 2015 will take place on Friday 27^th November, from 4pm to 7pm. This is where you can take to the court with the whole family for just 50 pence per player! During this time we hope to show the live action from the first day of the final on our modest TV in the clubhouse.
• We will be hosting a parent and child fun doubles tournament on Saturday 28^th November, from 3pm to 4:30pm. This will be an afternoon of quick-fire fun tennis matches between teams of children and adults. Just £1 per person to enter. And remember to wear red, white and blue clothing to show your support for Team GB!

More information can be found on the event poster, on our social media outlets or by contacting Head Coach Jon at jonathanmorgan@caerphillytennis.co.uk or 07891 640642.