How to turn a failing club into a success story.
Published by Bruce Tarran in Tennis Ideas · Thursday 28 Jan 2021 · 2:15
Tags: Tennis, Club, Success, story, Bruce, Tarran
Tags: Tennis, Club, Success, story, Bruce, Tarran
How to Turn a Failing Tennis Club into a Success Story.
Level 5 tennis coach Bruce Tarran shares his amazing story of how he turned around a floundering almost derelict club with only a handful of members and turned it into one of the most prominent in the county! Here he shares his top tips.
MTI Opinion
This is undoubtedly a classic Cinderella rags to riches tennis club story.
What struck me was the short time frame involved. From 2017 – 2019 the club went from a moribund state with only 30 members dicing with death on slippery moss ridden courts to a thriving league winning club! Incredible.
True, although Bruce was a tour de force and understood what a successful club infrastructure should entail, he says he could not have achieved the speed of success without the help of some very generous, equally motivated individuals with many offering their time for free to complete the project.
This was extremely fortunate.
But let’s take nothing away from Bruce who was the project manager in building a club that lacked direction and he certainly rectified that.
I have read many similar stories and there are several common points that appear in the projects.
- A coach or individual who understands what a successful club should look and feel like
- The right atmosphere of fun, success and above all a feeling of club togetherness with all members mixing both on court and off court
- A plan of action with costings to upgrade club to at least a minimum safety level and to look presentable and welcoming
- Advertising campaign to attract new members that includes online and offline Competition opportunities both internal and external for all ages
- Is willing to give their time for free and oversees the project Approaches schoolsRuns open days
- Attends meetings (should be on the committee as a matter of course)
- Is not an individual who goes home after their lessons.
Afterall it’s their workplace, their office which image and potential reflects on them and their business potential but they must stay in control by maintaining their image profile, by posting hundreds of photos, posts of their successes including how adult players who started out as beginners for example then rose to the heights of team captain etc.