Writtle Tennis Club Court Project Has Started!

The courts at WTC - a before shot!

A bit of background…

WTC has been on a very successful path of improvement and growth, over the last few years. With an effective partnership with Writtle Tennis Academy, we have developed a successful programme, committed to growing our club and promoting the sport of Tennis. 

·        In January 2016 we had a total of 42 members 

·        In January 2018 we had grown to 110 members. 58 juniors and 52 adults              

·        In November 2018 we had grown to 164 members. 88 juniors and 76 adults  

·        In July 2020 we have nearly 200 members

 

Our mission is to grow tennis by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable.  

Anyone can play; whatever their motivation or ability, from all communities and backgrounds. At any age and for a whole lifetime, tennis provides physical, social and mental rewards both on and off the court.  

We want tennis to be open to as many people as possible. 

WTC are here to help many more people pick up a racket, whether it’s for the first time, or the first time in a while. We want to enable men and women of all ages and abilities to play more often, all year round. 

Our overall vision, as a 4-court club, is to get to 240 members (LTA recommendation) with a brand-new court surface, modern technology, facilities and furnishings. 

 

We were successful obtaining a £25,000 Sport England Grant and an ECLTA £25,000 loan. Alongside our own £25,000 we’re ready to improve our courts for all of our members to enjoy.

 

So, what is it we are going to do?

 

The Courts:

 

We have employed the LTA recommended company ETC Sports Surfaces, to resurface our four courts.

The new tennis courts will be finished with the ETC Tennis Playmac Surface. This is a special asphalt surface, which is ideal for use in this country, where the weather is so often erratic! This is a 6mm single size limestone mixed with bitumen, without sand and fines, at a high temperature. Because of its unique properties, the macadam is porous and can be played on soon after any amounts of rain. This is known as an “All-Weather” surface. After the macadam has been laid, an acrylic colour coating is applied, which greatly enhances the appearance of the court, prolongs the surface life and makes it less susceptible to softening in very warm weather. This surface is ideal for private, school, park and club use, as it needs very little maintenance throughout the year. This has medium ball bounce and speed and is the most practical of all tennis court surfaces.

We will be installing new root barriers. This is to prevent the roots of the trees growing towards the courts and creating any damage. There will be new edgings around the circumference of the courts. We will have a brand-new fence line that will go around the back of the hut making the club more secure. A new fence line will also be positioned in front of the ramp in between the top and the bottom courts. We hope to create a viewing platform in this space in the future. We will have a new entrance and gate on this new fence line. Any unnecessary (and unsightly) fencing will be removed, such as on top of the hut. We will have brand new tennis posts and nets and the courts will be painted the colours we choose soon. In the future we hope to create a much-improved entrance with a seating area, bike racks, new path and a garden.

 

 The programme:

So, starting now, there will be 4-6 weeks of works. Then 3 weeks will pass with no workers on site, before the courts are ready to be sprayed followed by 5 days’ curing time.

 

Keep up-to-date with the details of the whole project on this blog! Also, our website and Facebook will be updated with information.