AN AMBITIOUS crowdfunding campaign has been launched by Redditch Tennis Club to raise £25,000 to help create two new Red Plus clay courts.
The amount needs to be generated by the club towards the £60,000 total cost and a fund-raising campaign has been set up for people to contribute to and get a variety of rewards – donated by local businesses – in return.
The Ready 2 Play on Clay crowdfunder is supported by Sport England which will match-fund up to £10,000 for projects like this one.
The page has an initial target of £25,000 which needs to be raised in six weeks so the project can qualify of the Sport England funding.
The two courts being resurfaced with the Red Plus Clay are currently tarmac and, as they are over 16 years old, have fallen into a serious state of disrepair with deep cracks, making them uneven and unsafe to play on.
The work will provide two world class courts which people will be able to play on all year round. It will also put the club in a unique position as Red Plus Clay courts are rarely found in England.
Red Plus Clay is officially approved by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is similar to the Roland-Garros surface used for the French Open.
The highly respected and much-loved Redditch community tennis club was established in 1980, currently has more than 150 members and welcomes more than 1,000 non-members every year.
The club is based at the Redditch Borough Community Sports and Social Club in Batchley, an area characterised by high levels of socio-economic deprivation. It has been declared as being in the top ten per cent most deprived wards in the country.
Redditch Tennis Club currently has six tarmacced courts and a small wooden clubhouse.
The head coach and club coach deliver a wide range of programmes and opportunities to encourage a high level of participation in tennis, including school clubs, holiday camps, and individual and group coaching sessions.
The venue also hosts the Redditch Schools Games tennis event every year.
Head Tennis Coach Tony Ravenscroft said: “At the club we pride ourselves on meeting the needs of all players – from those playing recreationally for fun, through to those wishing to follow a performance pathway.
“This development will help us achieve those ambitions.”
Longer-term aims of the club include developing and expanding its current coaching programme, increasing the club’s social aspects, raising participation in tennis by people from Redditch and further afield and raising the club’s profile in the area, the county and beyond.
People can visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ready-2-play-on-clay/ to donate.
