Team Challenge Spotlight: Cheslyn Hay Tennis Club
• 2 MINUTE READ
Team Challenge is the perfect pastime for juniors of all ages and abilities looking for a spot of friendly, competitive fun.
Each event is organised by a ‘cluster organiser’, who encourages players from local clubs to team up for a competition at their venue.
In June, we started rolling out Team Challenge Spotlights to celebrate the hundreds of events taking place up and down the nation. First up, we focussed on Bristol’s Bishop Sutton Tennis Club where Mark Taber has been busy organising girls-only events to drive participation, then we ventured up to York to discover Matt Ward's work, which has seen over 300 kids get stuck into Team Challenge fun.
For our third Team Challenge Spotlight, we’re turning our attention to the West Midlands, where Chris Perrin has served over 20 events for 200 local players.
Chris is a coach at Cheslyn Hay Tennis Club as well as a PE teacher at St George’s School in Edgbaston. After finding out about Team Challenge, he thought it would be a great opportunity to encourage local players, at both his own club and others in Staffordshire, to join forces and compete!
Team Challenge is aimed at young players in club programmes who are new to competitions and Chris has found that many players who have taken part in his coaching sessions for six or so months, have gone on to play in the events as a way to develop their new skills.
After organising his first Team Challenge competition two years ago, he now holds them on a monthly basis and welcomes familiar faces and new players each time. To ensure as much inclusivity as possible, he’ll run two draws (green and yellow ball) alongside each other, which sees up to 36 players take part on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
Not only have the events given the opportunity to compete in a fun, relaxed environment, they’ve helped open up a bustling atmosphere at the club. Chris has even gone on to host a ‘Team Challenge Day’ where players were able to take advantage of other activities such as a fastest serve competition and a bucket challenge.
After seeing the success of Team Challenge at the club, Chris began introducing events at his school in summer, so students in Years 7 and 8 could also get involved.
“Players only seem to have positive experiences of Team Challenge because the format ensures it’s suitable for all abilities to give it a go. It helps provide insight into what it’s like to play competitively, where you develop social skills such as dealing with how to win and how to lose!”
Chris next hopes to launch adult Team Challenge events at the club, for players aged 18-25 who are interested in gaining more match experience in an informal setting.
Find an event near you!
Get involved and enter a Team Challenge competition near you! To find out more about Team Challenge, check out our online guide.
