Chairmans Report 2021
Hi everyone,
As we reach the end of the year I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on yet another great year for the club both on and off court.
On court success
We fielded a mixed doubles team for the first time in many a long year as well as a vets 3 team. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we field a women’s team. We will also be entering a third men’s team in the North Kent league this summer, which should provide us with the opportunity to blood more of our burgeoning junior talent. This is a clear sign of the way the club has grown in the past couple of years. My continued thanks to our Fixtures Officer Dami for his smooth and efficient arrangement of all club fixtures this year.
Three promotions were achieved and duly celebrated last month at the North Kent Awards evening at the Danson Boathouse. I am hopeful that our Men’s One will add to that total this winter. Social play has blossomed this year, with record numbers attending our Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday socials. My thanks to Colin Stevenson for overseeing the new Sunday social.
Finally, in addition to our box leagues, thanks must go to Ollie for the D’Mello competition and the highly successful club tournament, which culminated in over 50 of us attending the finals weekend in September to watch the eight (yes eight!) finals.
Off court success
The year saw us recruit 44 new members to add to the 27 who joined us in 2020. We now have 104 members, compared to 34 in March 2020. Membership growth has provided us with the necessary funds to proceed with our plans to install floodlights on D’Mello and court two in September/October 2022. Planning permission has been sought from Bexley Council and I will let everyone know as soon as they have made their decision. Assuming the planning application is successful, I believe the provision of floodlights will propel the club forward and I am hopeful we shall have 150 members this time next year.
Due to decades of neglect our courts are in urgent need of repair. An application has been submitted to the LTA for a 10 year interest free loan, which will enable us to resurface all four courts. Finance is extremely tight and there may only be enough money to resurface two courts. Again I will keep you informed of progress on the loan application as soon as a decision has been made.
The club owes a massive debt of gratitude to Dave Kane, my right hand man, who in addition to his communication and recruitment role has expertly project managed the floodlighting and resurfacing project. This has required many hours of his time and the part Dave has played in the growth of the club in the last couple of years cannot be understated. Thank you Dave.
Thanks also go to our popular Treasurer Alfio, a true club legend and Neil our Social/Fundraising Officer.
Electronic Gate
Clearly we need to generate as much income as possible. To this end, many of you will have seen the recently installed £8k electronic gate (paid for by the LTA at no cost to the club) which provides entrance onto D’Mello court. The gate will become operational in mid January and enable us to open the two courts to non members at a cost of £10 per hour.
In addition to the revenue this initiative will bring in to the club, we will be looking to convert some of those attending to become club members. I believe income will be highest once floodlights are installed. The club will be promoting this facility around the local area, but please spread the word to friends and family if you are able to do so. My thanks to Raman, our outstanding IT Officer who has kindly undertaken the additional role of Pay and Play Officer. Raman will be in touch with everyone in the new year, detailing how the gate will operate.
Tennis Committee
Your Committee is working really hard to improve the offer available to members. My thanks to them for all their hard work, especially those I have not specifically mentioned in this missive. Everyone on the Committee has a respective role and these roles as well as the composition of the Committee can be viewed by accessing the link below:-
https://bexleyheathtennisclub.co.uk/page-17/
Should you have any questions for the committee then please have a chat whenever you next see us or drop us a line at:- membersenquiries@bexleyheathtennisclub.co.uk
Finally, I extend to members my very best wishes for the festive season and hope that you all have a healthy, safe and happy 2022.
Dave Williams
Chair
As we reach the end of the year I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on yet another great year for the club both on and off court.
On court success
We fielded a mixed doubles team for the first time in many a long year as well as a vets 3 team. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we field a women’s team. We will also be entering a third men’s team in the North Kent league this summer, which should provide us with the opportunity to blood more of our burgeoning junior talent. This is a clear sign of the way the club has grown in the past couple of years. My continued thanks to our Fixtures Officer Dami for his smooth and efficient arrangement of all club fixtures this year.
Three promotions were achieved and duly celebrated last month at the North Kent Awards evening at the Danson Boathouse. I am hopeful that our Men’s One will add to that total this winter. Social play has blossomed this year, with record numbers attending our Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday socials. My thanks to Colin Stevenson for overseeing the new Sunday social.
Finally, in addition to our box leagues, thanks must go to Ollie for the D’Mello competition and the highly successful club tournament, which culminated in over 50 of us attending the finals weekend in September to watch the eight (yes eight!) finals.
Off court success
The year saw us recruit 44 new members to add to the 27 who joined us in 2020. We now have 104 members, compared to 34 in March 2020. Membership growth has provided us with the necessary funds to proceed with our plans to install floodlights on D’Mello and court two in September/October 2022. Planning permission has been sought from Bexley Council and I will let everyone know as soon as they have made their decision. Assuming the planning application is successful, I believe the provision of floodlights will propel the club forward and I am hopeful we shall have 150 members this time next year.
Due to decades of neglect our courts are in urgent need of repair. An application has been submitted to the LTA for a 10 year interest free loan, which will enable us to resurface all four courts. Finance is extremely tight and there may only be enough money to resurface two courts. Again I will keep you informed of progress on the loan application as soon as a decision has been made.
The club owes a massive debt of gratitude to Dave Kane, my right hand man, who in addition to his communication and recruitment role has expertly project managed the floodlighting and resurfacing project. This has required many hours of his time and the part Dave has played in the growth of the club in the last couple of years cannot be understated. Thank you Dave.
Thanks also go to our popular Treasurer Alfio, a true club legend and Neil our Social/Fundraising Officer.
Electronic Gate
Clearly we need to generate as much income as possible. To this end, many of you will have seen the recently installed £8k electronic gate (paid for by the LTA at no cost to the club) which provides entrance onto D’Mello court. The gate will become operational in mid January and enable us to open the two courts to non members at a cost of £10 per hour.
In addition to the revenue this initiative will bring in to the club, we will be looking to convert some of those attending to become club members. I believe income will be highest once floodlights are installed. The club will be promoting this facility around the local area, but please spread the word to friends and family if you are able to do so. My thanks to Raman, our outstanding IT Officer who has kindly undertaken the additional role of Pay and Play Officer. Raman will be in touch with everyone in the new year, detailing how the gate will operate.
Tennis Committee
Your Committee is working really hard to improve the offer available to members. My thanks to them for all their hard work, especially those I have not specifically mentioned in this missive. Everyone on the Committee has a respective role and these roles as well as the composition of the Committee can be viewed by accessing the link below:-
https://bexleyheathtennisclub.co.uk/page-17/
Should you have any questions for the committee then please have a chat whenever you next see us or drop us a line at:- membersenquiries@bexleyheathtennisclub.co.uk
Finally, I extend to members my very best wishes for the festive season and hope that you all have a healthy, safe and happy 2022.
Dave Williams
Chair