Giffnock Tennis Club
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Giffnock Tennis, Squash & Hockey Club
Location: East Renfrewshire
Established: 1895
Membership: 1,129 (25th March 2021)
Background
Celebrated as our Club of the Year in 2021, Giffnock Tennis, Squash & Hockey Club make the great claim to be more than just a club and often brand themselves as the Giffnock family. With a strong membership of 1,129 (as of 25th March 2021), the club plays a pivotal role in supporting members and the local community by providing access to sport, whilst maintaining a commitment to safeguarding, equality and diversity.
An award-winning anniversary
Giffnock Tennis, Squash and Hockey Club earned our coveted Club of the Year title in 2021 as a reward for demonstrating outstanding community links and exceptional growth throughout 2020.
With 125th anniversary celebrations halted due to COVID-19 restrictions, the club channelled efforts into local community outreach projects. What started with a simple food delivery service quickly grew into online social events, a telephone buddy system, mental health support and daily physical skills challenges to support individuals in the early stages of the pandemic. The club also made the decision to engage groups hit hardest by the isolation, starting with an Easter bunny drop to 300 local child members, followed by a small care package delivered to members aged 65 and older.
In order to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment as tennis emerged from lockdown, the club invested upgrades and procedures to ensure players could be safely welcomed back, resulting in a substantial increase in memberships.
The club’s Director of Tennis, Mark Openshaw, also earned the title of Performance Coach of the Year as an acknowledgement of his efforts to run a performance programme which supported the continued development of players throughout 2020. This included providing all members with access to two 30-minute online fitness sessions each week.
In addition, the club was awarded Grade 2 LTA British Tour status for the Giffnock Open in 2021, allowing for growth of the event and enhancement of prizes on offer in the junior competitions.
“We believe that competition leads to coaching, in promoting a positive environment for competitive play. Our ultimate goal is to be the best version of ourselves possible!”
A club for the future
A continuous improvement project has commenced at the club, aimed at consolidating existing membership and maximising facility use to provide access to courts. This includes the launch of a new Giffnock TSHC App in autumn 2020 to combine 5 existing systems for membership data, court booking, door entry, communications and hospitality into a single system which will improve member experience.
The club is also setting up the Giffnock Tennis Academy which will allow parents to watch coaching sessions via a live stream, in addition to receiving prior notification of the session objectives. Academy attendees also receive subsidised individual lessons as part of their tennis development plan.
Further expansion plans are expected, with a 5-year strategy developed to improve facilities by applying for TSIT funding which supports the development of indoor centres.
For more information, check out the club’s website and YouTube channel and social media platforms:
Instagram: giffnockltc
Twitter: @GiffnockTSH
Facebook: GiffnockTennisSquashHockey
