The revamp of the courts at St Ann’s Tennis is great news for young players in Brighton and Hove.
Playing tennis is fun, social – and a great way for kids to keep fit. Better still, the St Ann’s Tennis courts are now clean and safe to use.
St Ann’s Tennis is planning an exciting programme of activities for young players – including a comprehensive Winter Coaching Programme, holiday Tennis Camps taking place during next week’s half term and numerous benefits for youngsters who become Junior members of St Ann’s Tennis Club.
Winter coaching programme for Juniors
The Winter Coaching programme for Juniors gets underway on November 2. Any child can join; there is no requirement to be a St Ann’s Tennis Club member.
Mini Tennis Red is a programme for players aged 4-8. Featuring shorter courts, nets, rackets and soft, low-bouncing balls, Mini Tennis provides the perfect introduction to tennis for young children. They get to learn the basics – including how to serve, rally and score as well as learning the movement and coordination skills required for tennis. Options include four-week courses (taking place Mondays or Wednesdays) or seven-week courses at the weekend. See our Coaching Page for full details.
Coaching for Juniors (aged 8-16) takes place at the weekend with a Beginners’ class every Sunday (led by Jimmy Smith) and an Improvers’ class on Saturdays (age 9+) led by David Ince. See our Coaching Page for full details.
Winter Half Term Tennis Camps
Any child aged 5-13 years old can join our Winter Half Term Tennis Camps which start next Monday (October 26) and run for five days. The camps are led by local coach David Ince and take place daily from 9.30am-12pm. The cost is £60 (or £50 per child for siblings.)
David Ince has been running tennis camps at St Ann’s Well Gardens for many years and the camps are a great way to get kids learning tennis and having fun during the holidays. Please note that, owing to government & LTA COVID-19 restrictions, places will be limited and offered on a first come first served basis. To sign up, please email davidincetennis@aol.com
Junior membership
Although anyone can join the coaching programmes or Tennis Camps, Junior Membership of St Ann’s Tennis offers excellent value. As well as being the most cost-effective way to use the courts, membership also comes with a raft of benefits including free coaching sessions, discounted individual coaching, free entry to tournaments – plus easy online court booking. We welcome players of all ages and standards so do check our Junior Membership page for more details.
The full programme for Junior Club members will get underway next Spring and is set to include weekly free coaching sessions every Friday after school. Head coach Jimmy Smith said: “The Friday night sessions are a lot of fun and a great way to get youngsters running around on court. All Juniors get an hour’s free coaching – and a slice of pizza afterwards! It’s a formula that’s proved very popular at other Clubs and instils a passion for tennis from a young age.
“We’ll also be holding a series of competitive tennis events for Juniors – including a parent/child tournament and an ongoing ‘box league’. Entry for all Juniors tournaments is free of charge to members.”
Jimmy added: “Youth tennis is the beating heart of any tennis cub and we’re looking forward to getting a full Juniors programme up and running. Parks tennis is a first step for so many people. Loads of players get started just by playing in their local park and being able to play on well-maintained, safe courts is a vital part of that. Tennis is a great way to get kids outdoors and keeping fit.”
Under 12 “Young Junior” membership at St Ann’s Tennis costs just £25 a year, with membership for older Juniors (aged 12-18) costing just £35 a year. Please note that, unless taking part in a coaching session, Young Juniors (11 or under) can’t play unsupervised so must be accompanied by a parent or carer. For Young Juniors’ online booking, a parent/carer must either be a full member of St Ann’s Tennis Club, or an M5 member which enables them to accompany a Young Junior member.
Junior Membership rates
Junior membership (12-18) (M2) £35
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Young Junior membership (11 and under) (M4) £25
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Parent/Carer of Young Junior (M5) £15
Membership for those who want to play on court with a Young Junior (11 and under)
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Extra Parent/Carer Membership (M6) £5
Membership for an additional parent wishing to play with a Young Junior (11 and under)
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Winter Half Term Tennis Camps
Any child aged 5-13 years old can join our Winter Half Term Tennis Camps. The camps, led by local coach David Ince, start next Monday (October 26) and will run every day through to Friday, October 30 from 9.30am-12pm. The cost is £60 for the full week; £50 each for siblings.
David Ince has been running tennis camps at St Ann’s Well Gardens for many years and it’s a great way to get kids learning tennis and having fun during the holidays. Please note that, owing to government & LTA COVID-19 restrictions, places will be limited and offered on a first come first served basis. To sign up, please email davidincetennis@aol.com
