West End Lawn Tennis Club

 

 

Prepared By:

The Committee & Members West End LTC

 

Table of Contents

1. Summary.............................................................................................................................. 3

1.1      Year 2000................................................................................................................. 3

1.2      Highlights............................................................................................................. 3

2. Introduction................................................................................................................... 4

3. Club History.................................................................................................................... 5

4. Events 1990 to 2000....................................................................................................... 6

5. Club Strategy................................................................................................................. 7

5.1      Aims of the Club............................................................................................... 7

5.2      LTA Club Vision.................................................................................................. 7

5.3      Medium & Long Term Strategy................................................................ 7

6. Year 2000 Activities..................................................................................................... 8

6.1      Overview................................................................................................................ 8

6.2      Development of Courts and Clubhouse Facilities..................... 8

6.3      Financial Development & Fund Raising........................................... 10

6.4      Coaching Development.............................................................................. 10

6.5      Tournament & Competition Programme........................................ 11

6.6      Make Facilities Available....................................................................... 12

6.7      Activities in the Interests of Tennis................................................. 12

7. Open Day Celebrations.......................................................................................... 13

7.1      Open Day Celebration Report................................................................ 13

7.2      Open Day Celebration Programme Materials............................ 16

7.2.1     President's Welcome.................................................................................... 16

7.2.2     Programme.................................................................................................... 16

7.2.3     "Friends of West End"................................................................................. 16

7.2.4     "West End" Poem......................................................................................... 17

7.2.5     "Open Day Celebration"............................................................................ 18

 

 

 

 

 

1.1        Year 2000

This has been a great year for our Club borne out of significant efforts from its members and its Committee.  The Year 2000 was associated with millennium celebrations and millennium bugs and we have had both. The Club has celebrated the millennium with its own Centenary and the only bug we have caught is one of enthusiasm for tennis and West End in particular.

The year past has been very busy and one of the thoughts in making this submission was, we must confess, do we have the energy for this proposal at this time of Christmas parties, Hogmanay celebrations and holidays but as usual there was enough enthusiasm and commitment from the Committee and we thought this is something we should go for and if we don't deserve a place in the awards this year then we never will.

1.2        Highlights

The highlights within this year have been many and varied and it is has been difficult to comprehend that as volunteers we have achieved so much in such a short space of time.  Even putting this submission together caused a few of us to reflect in wonder at just what we have achieved.  As a taster we have listed a few of the main highlights below.

• Installation of new security fencing and the repair of the courts wear by external contractors with both projects paid in full by Club fund raising.
• Refurbishment of the Clubhouse facilities from a situation where it was difficult to host visiting teams on match nights to one where social evenings in the clubhouse are now possible.

• Fund raising throughout the year included raffles, quizzes, a Super-sale, BBQs and funding through successful applications to Awards for All and Dundee City Council's Community Chest.
• We held an Open Day Celebration, supported by the SLTA, LTA, Dundee City Council and others to mark the Millennium and the Club's Centenary.  This acted as a focus for many of the Club's developments this year. (See Section 7)
• We launched a short tennis programme at West End and this has been so well received that the local authority is to support this as an annual event.
• Through West End seeking sponsorship support we have been able to extend the competitions and trophies played for within the Club Championships.
• We have encouraged others into tennis through support for various initiatives, including Play Tennis 2000 and Get Your Kit On.
• We have participated in all of the initiatives locally to encourage others to take up sport and tennis in particular, including the Dundee City Council's Sports Roadshow.
• We have actively sought to influence the development of tennis in Dundee.

West End Lawn Tennis club is situated in the west of Dundee at what must be, on a warm summer's day, one of the best sites for tennis courts anywhere in Scotland.  The facilities of the Club include four all weather tennis courts which provides a good playing surface for all standards.  Currently there is a reasonably healthy membership, which is able to support a good playing squad standard.  The membership spans all age groups and it has been quoted that our players' ages range from 3 to 83.  The club participates in the Midland Counties of Scotland LTA leagues with three senior and two junior teams.  The Club hosts coaching initiatives throughout the year to improve playing standards and to encourage children and adults into tennis.  A number of the members have also been selected for regional coaching.  There are various categories of membership and fees with junior, student, adult, weekday and family categories.

 

 

 

 

From local records the West End LTC has been in existence since 1900 when the address was listed as Westpark Road and the president at that time was Mr Hendry.  In 1902/3 the address then became Shaftesbury Road and the president was Mr Draffen.  It is estimated that the Clubhouse was built in the early 1920's.  There has been, over the years, a number of tennis milestones recorded at the West End Lawn Tennis Club.  One of significant note was past member, Joyce Hume (Barclay) who played with Winnie Shaw (Wooldridge) in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1982 and Anita Ellis who also reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon.  It has also been noted that in past years there have been national tournaments held at the Club and it has been known that up to 1500 spectators have supported such events.

 

 

 

At the start of the 1990's new courts were installed at the Club and this caused renewed interest in tennis.  The membership grew and the Club was supporting a number of players of note, as well as league teams and was able to host local tournaments for the Dundee and surrounding areas.  At that time the Club had intended to produce a five-year plan but this was never completed as was the case with the proposal to install floodlights.  This poor follow on to the provision of the new courts may be attributed to the volunteer nature of the committees and the growing time pressures on the personnel involved.  The overall venture would have benefited from professional coaching and development staff being attached to the Club.

The growth of the Club was then followed by a period, in the mid to late 1990s, when it was almost at the point of closing its doors.  This had been brought about by a number of factors, including the loss of the tennis coach, changes in the Club’s Committee affected by modern-day time pressures, and more significantly vandalism to the clubhouse.  At that time it was recognised by a small number within the Club that if the situation was to change then serious action was required.  The Clubhouse was secured and with cooperation from other agencies the youth in the area were involved with the Club, using the tennis facility rather than abusing it.

The first step on the way to recovery was the appointment of a part time Coach to the Club.  This person, a qualified tennis Coach, has formed a focus for many of the tennis developments within the Club.  The current arrangement with the Coach has been developed such that she benefits, the pupils benefit and the Club benefits as well, everyone wins.  Another move made at that time was the reduction of the fees for membership.  This was done in the light of the facilities on offer, most significant of which was the lack of a clubhouse.  Both of these actions were taken by the Committee at that time to consolidate the Club’s situation.

Over the recent years the Committee has tried to meet regularly, to monitor the Clubs’ activities and to make plans for the future.  Meetings took place with Dundee District Council and the Scottish Lawn Tennis Association.  These were to explore ways in which WELTC could develop.  Both bodies felt that the WELTC could have a good future with written statements such as “…I consider your Club has great potential to develop … " and "… you have the basic physical infrastructure.  What you need is Club and especially Committee support to back your future plans. …"  With these encouragements we took up the challenge to make a difference.

With the beginning of 1998 the view of the Committee was to put on hold any grand plans for the Club until the end of the season.  This was done in the light of recent fluctuations in the membership and the problems of Club security and vandalism.  Various steps were taken to develop the membership and with the help of the Coach the membership has now almost trebled.  The Club is now secure and there has been no recent evidence of vandalism.  With these changes the Committee now feels that there is a demand for tennis and related sporting/social activities in the area and that the loss of the facility would be a loss to Dundee’s West End in general.  Therefore the Committee is now hoping to develop this plan for the future of the Club.

 

The West End Lawn Tennis Club is in the process of developing a medium term strategy for the Club.  The requirement for this strategic planning was identified during 1999 and allowed the Committee to prioritise the development of the various aspects of the Club.

Our current strategy has been one of identifying the most immediate needs and prioritising those.  This has been reflected in the issues we have tackled in the last year.  These included making the facility secure, improving the courts and making the Clubhouse serviceable.  With the infrastructure in place we have also concentrated on improving the tennis coaching and performance of the players and the teams at West End.

In tackling these various issues we have worked with any agency willing to help or offer opportunity to communicate our message of what West End has to offer.  The fact that it was our Centenary last year gave a focus for the various initiatives and allowed a great deal of energy to be channeled into the Club.   The success gaining support through Awards for All, Community Chest and LTA Millennium initiatives helped greatly in this regard.

5.1        Aims of the Club

• To provide tennis and related sports facilities in the west end of Dundee for the development of tennis activities for all ages and abilities and to improve standards of play.
• To offer a range of enjoyable sporting and social activities for the local community, with an emphasis on family participation.

5.2        LTA Club Vision

At West End we have participated in the various communications with regard to the LTA's Club Vision initiatives and have been very encouraged by this activity.  We heard the presentations and watched the video with great interest and saw, reflected in these communications, thoughts and aspirations very similar to our own.  We have met with our county development officer and again we have found this very encouraging.  In completing the recent survey we, as would be expected, did not achieve top rating but were very pleased to see that we seemed to be doing the right things and achieved a very high rating as a grade one Club.  We are seen as "An example of how Clubs should make use of their members and its committee efforts and enthusiasm to get things done."  We have prepared this document to support the club in the long term and to act as guidelines to other clubs.  We will use this submission as a living document to be updated each year in an effort to focus our efforts and to form a core focus for our development plans for the future.

5.3        Medium & Long Term Strategy

Over the next three to five years we will work with the various tennis associations and the local authority to improve the facilities with replacement court surface, new sports fencing and an upgraded clubhouse.  All of which will be backed by improved coaching staff, coaching, playing and competitive performance at the Club.

6.1        Overview

Over this season we have been able to hold a number of events and to make changes to the Club.  We held a Play Tennis 2000 Day and Social Evening on 6^th May, Open Day Celebrations on 10^th June, two American Tournaments, in July and September and the Club Championship Finals Day on 27^th August.  All of these were great fun and in particular the Open Day will be long remembered by those who came along and joined in.

It may seem that the West End has still a long way to go to get into the state that we would wish for but we have made significant improvements this year and everyone who has been involved with these changes is justifiably proud of their efforts.

6.2        Development of Courts and Clubhouse Facilities

Over the year we have developed the facility as our funding and other resources have allowed.

• New security fencing has been erected at considerable cost.  This has been paid for in full and now gives us confidence that we can make changes at the Club and they will not be damaged by vandalism.

 

 

• The courts were showing signs of wear and before the start of the season they were repaired at significant cost and a new maintenance programme has been put in place.  The maintenance is based on the David Rhodes book on the care and maintenance of synthetic grass surfaces and we hope to extend the life of the courts to 2003 at least.
• During this year through the "Awards for All" scheme we were able to purchase eight short tennis nets and associated rackets and balls, etc.  We also purchased a table tennis table to provide activities mainly for the juniors during bad weather.
• We have improved the Clubhouse to the point where we were able to hold a cheese and wine reception with dancing to follow.  We replaced a damp wall in the building, which was put up in the 1920s and removed another wall to allow the table tennis table to be used.  In addition the complete exterior of the clubhouse was refurbished and painted, again by the members, in preparation for the Open Day Celebrations.  These improvements have included changes to give electric lighting to all areas, the addition of gas heating and cooking facilities in the kitchen.

• We have changed the gardens to the east of the Clubhouse from what was very unsightly scrub land to an area the "Hit Squad" would be proud of, incorporating sun patio and flower border with a commemorative plaque to mark the Club's Centenary. 

 

 

• The driveway is much improved with the new security fencing, gates and changes to the gardens to include a rockery with a flowering border.

6.3        Financial Development & Fund Raising

Without prudent financial control the Club could not have developed as it did.  With volunteer efforts from the membership and limited monetary resources we have been able to do more than our income, which is less than £8000 for 2000, including awards and donation, should have allowed.  We still have £2000 in the bank from the year just ended and this was achieved with less than 150 members and an adult fee of £50.

• We have turned around the financial situation of the Club from one of annual deficit to one of having a year-end surplus.
• We have paid off the loan to the LTA for the court surface.  This was a significant achievement given the recent difficulties at the Club and one of which we are justly proud.  Finding the £2500 each year to pay off the loan was not easy when the subscription and other income was much reduced, at one point down to £2800, and there were other demands on the income for court maintenance and facility repairs.
• "Awards for All" grant of £1435 to deliver a short tennis programme at the Club.
• "Community Chest" grant of £500 to create a Millennium Garden and hold a millennium celebration and open day.
• We have sought and received donations and sponsorship of some £500 from organisations and individuals.
• We have created a new category of membership, "Friends of West End" to encourage those who have left the area or even the sport of tennis to keep in touch and help the Club where possible.
• The Club has held a number of fund raising activities through the year.
• A large raffle was organised during the summer months
• Our Coach organised games and quizzes for adults and children alike to raise money.
• We have organised a "Bonus Ball" scheme for members and their friends.
• We organised a Summer Super-Sale bring and buy event.
• We held a Cheese & Wine Party
• At each of the American Tournaments and the Club Championships we also had a BBQ.

6.4        Coaching Development

The Coaching provision at the Club has been extended greatly in 2000 and is now poised to make greater strides with provision to local primary and secondary schools through links with the local authority.

• Coaching is available throughout the year each Saturday morning for junior beginners and improvers.  The Yoplait badge scheme was in operation.
• Adult coaching was available for beginners.
• A short tennis programme was delivered.
• Some of the juniors are now participating in area performance squads.
• A second coach was employed for adult and junior improvers.
• Coach education initiatives were put in place for Club members interested in taking up the challenge.

6.5        Tournament & Competition Programme

• During the season 2000 the gents and ladies teams competed and next year we expect to field two gents teams rather than one.  The Henderson Vase team was promoted and there will be a West End team in the Scottish Cup next year but the real success was with the juniors.  In 2000 there were two junior teams for the first time in a while and both achieved promotion to the Super League and Division One respectively
• The Club Championships saw new events and the addition of four new cups, two quaiches and a rose bowl.  This was mainly due to the kind donations, notably from Mrs Lilian Manson, Robert & Joan Clark, Joyce Englefield (Barclay), the Club's Committee and The Afternoon Ladies.  The events included singles for gents, ladies, boys and girls under 12, 16 and 18, doubles for gents, ladies, mixed and masters.  We also ran American Tournaments during the season.

 

 

• Nestle Ladders were organised for juniors in age groups under 12 and over 12 and this competition yielded improvement in the team performance. 
• With the success of the summer ladders for the juniors and to improve the standard of play Saturday Singles Ladders are now being run over the winter for gents, ladies and juniors.
• We are now seeing juniors participating in individual area competitions.

6.6        Make Facilities Available

We have made use of a number of national and local initiatives to encourage the use of the facilities at West End and to bring others into the game of tennis.

• All of our coaching programmes are available to members and non-members.
• Some special needs children take part in the junior coaching and this is very much appreciated by the children and parents alike.
• The access to coaching is also linked with the local Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
• The Club took part, as always in the Play Tennis promotion for 2000.
• By taking part in the BBC's "Get Your Kit On" programme we saw a number of new juniors and some took up membership.
• Open Day Celebrations (See section 7)
• Through running the short tennis course we are now being asked by the local authority to run similar activities each year.  The local primary schools and the University are to have short tennis programmes linked to the Club and supported by the development of new coaches from West End.
• The local secondary academy has also approached the Club with a view to having the facility and coaching available for tennis provision to interested pupils.

6.7        Activities in the Interests of Tennis

Mainly through links with the various tennis associations and the local authority we have promoted wherever possible West End LTC and tennis generally.

·         Our own Committee, all volunteers, meets regularly and supports the efforts of the Midlands District in tennis organisation and development.

·         We have worked with various agencies to promote the sport and make the public aware of what is on offer.  We have taken part in the Roadshows to sports centres and schools in an outreach effort for our Club and tennis generally.

·         We have produced West End flyers and brochures for various events and tried where possible to have press coverage for all our efforts and activities.

·         We are very supportive of the Tayside Tennis Development Group and are also working with the local authority to have the Dundee Tennis Development Group restarted.

·         We have made contributions to the development of the Dundee Sports and Physical Recreation Strategy review.

·         We have applied to have our site and courts included in the local conservation area boundary.  This has been done to help ensure the site remains a tennis facility for years to come.

 

 

Gents

 

 

7.1        Open Day Celebration Report

The sun shone, over 250 people turned up and the day was simply wonderful.  A great deal of work had been put in by the members, getting the clubhouse, grounds and courts in order for the "Big Day".

 

 

The guest sports celebrity was Doddie Weir, the Scottish and British Lions rugby internationalist.  He arrived an hour early and caught us all on the hop.  Doddie was a great asset to the day's events.  He played short tennis with the children over the Club's new Zsig nets, had shots with the older children at the "Fun Factory" zone and completed the foursome in the super doubles match with Ross Matheson against Ian Woodcraft and Jenny Duncan.

Lady players at the Club also added to the day's fun as they turned out in tennis fashions of 100 years ago in order to mark the Club's Centenary and our Club secretary was attired in striped blazer and panama hat.

 

 

Doddie opened the new Millennium Garden, which up to a month before was just a piece of scrubland.  It is now an attractive garden with patio area, seating, stone planting features and there is also a plaque to commemorate the Club's Centenary.   He helped Club President Dorothy Proctor cut the birthday cake and drank a toast to the future of the Club and West End.

 

 

Teas were served in the clubhouse to past and present member as well as the many guests from the neighbourhood who came along on the day to join in the fun.  Members of bygone years met up with old friends and everyone enjoyed the home baking.  One past champion, Peter Robertson, and his wife travelled from near London to revisit Dundee and spend a couple of hours taking part in the celebrations.  They felt it was well worth the effort of a full day's travelling.

 

 

Four years ago it would have been hard to visualise a day like this, the Club was on the point of closing but now things have turned around and with hard work by the committee, the members and support from a number of quarters we are hopeful that the Club can act as a centre for sport, community and general recreation for all around.

In closing the Club would wish to express its sincere thanks to all who contributed to making this a very special day for West End and the community.

7.2        Open Day Celebration Programme Materials

The following are extracts from the programme, which was made available during the Open Day Celebrations.

7.2.1      President's Welcome

Welcome to our 100th year Celebration Day.  If you are a past member, present or future participant or just an interested visitor or guest I welcome you to West End Lawn Tennis Club on this our special occasion.  I hope you will enjoy seeing our New Millennium Garden - a weedy area up to a month ago - and enjoy our programme.  It is a big thank-you to the members and non-members who have worked extremely hard to make this possible and for the generous donations for the garden project and for all the joinery work, painting, wood cutting and weeding etc undertaken to improve the Clubhouse and the grounds.

West End is a family orientated Club with a keen group of afternoon ladies and many enthusiastic juniors.  We have five teams in the Midland Leagues with Ladies, Gents, two Junior Teams and a Henderson Vase Mixed Doubles Team.  It is encouraging to note that the juniors are doing very well this year and you may wish to stay to watch their match early this evening at 6:00pm.

I hope you enjoy your day - meet up with old friends and make new ones.  If you would like to keep in touch and join us socially throughout the season why not consider joining or even rejoining.  For the new millennium we are re-launching our non-playing membership category under the banner of "Friends of West End".

Hope to see you again,

Dorothy, President West End LTC

7.2.2      Programme

The programme for the day is as follows:

     2:00            Start

2:00 - 3:00   Short Tennis

2:30 - 3:00   Ladies Doubles

3:00 - 3:15   Millennium Garden Opening & Cutting the Cake

3:15 - 3:45   Demonstration Match

3:45            Raffle Draw

6:00            Junior Match

Note: Teas available in the Clubhouse all afternoon and don't forget to enter the prize draws, you might be lucky and find yourself taking tea at Wimbledon.

7.2.3      "Friends of West End"

In the past 100 years many people have happy memories of West End, as a member or connected in some way with the Club.  Perhaps you would now like to be re-connected with the Club on an on-going basis.  We would like to keep in touch with you and would like to invite you to become a "Friend of West End".

For £22 per year you would:

¨       Receive the newsletters from the Club

¨       Receive invitations to the Clubs' social functions

¨       Receive invitation to the Club Championship Final's Day

7.2.4      "West End" Poem

 

One hundred years have come and gone

Long dresses, hats are now forlorn

Cream, white flannels, v-necked jumpers

Have been replaced with tracksuit "thumpers"

 

Lots of crafty drop-shots, volleys

Are now just hits of two stroke rallies

 

The speedy service - just like thunder

Would make Fred Perry stare and wonder

In disbelief at the speed of the ball

As it whizzed passed him and hit the wall

 

The Dunlop Maxply's wooden frame

Is never seen now in the game

The big-head rackets are in fashion

To hit the ball with top spin action

 

It makes one wonder what life was like

No TVs, computers, few cars or bikes

Just fun in the sun playing sets one, two or three

With good home baking for the afternoon teas

 

Did horses stand near the entrance gate?

Were they tied up and had to wait

Till the owners played a friendly game

Shook hands, then galloped home again

 

The year two thousand is now here

Our party fun and lots of cheer

The millennium garden is here to stay

Giving pleasure to all along Shaftesbury way

 

So here's a toast to "Old West End"

Happy Birthday may you never end

Just keep giving pleasure to the folk in the west

Until in the cemetery they find their rest

 

Dorothy

7.2.5      "Open Day Celebration"

We are holding this Open Day Celebration at the Club's courts in the west of Dundee to mark the new Millennium and the Club's 100th birthday.  The West End Lawn Tennis Club's Open Day Celebration marks the Club’s centenary and the fact that it has been located on the current site since 1903.  Over this time the Club has been a centre for the playing and development of tennis in Dundee and as you can see the facilities include four all weather tennis courts which provide a good playing surface for all standards.

There has been, over the years, a number of tennis milestones recorded at the West End Lawn Tennis Club.  One of significant note was past member, Joyce Englefield (Barclay) who played with Winnie Shaw (Wooldridge) in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1982 and Anita Ellis who also reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon.  In past years there have been national tournaments held at the Club and it has been known for some 1500 spectators to support such events.

The present situation at the Club is not on this scale but it does support a good playing squad standard.  The club participates in the Midland District of Scotland LTA leagues with three senior and two junior teams.  The Club runs a number of coaching initiatives throughout the year to improve playing standards and to encourage children and adults into tennis.

The Open Day Celebration includes the opening of the Club's Millennium Garden, which will improve the surroundings and contribute a lasting impression on the local community.  The plan has been to enhance the grounds and gardens with new planting, furniture and is being supported by Dundee City Council through the Community Chest Scheme.

The LTA are supporting the day through Ian Woodcraft and there will be an exhibition tennis match with two of Scotland's top lady players, Jenny Duncan and Karen Ross.  Doddie Weir of Scottish Rugby fame will also be there and he will join Ross Matheson in a mixed doubles match umpired by Ian.  Pete Grey and the Tennis Factory, which is a fun activity to encourage people to take up tennis, will also be making use of one of the courts.

The theme for the day is "Past, Present and Future" and in addition to the exhibition match we have a squad of our juniors playing short tennis and some of our seniors playing doubles with 1900 style costumes and equipment.

It is expected that members of the WELTC, both present and past, local residents and a number of invited guests will be taking part in the Open Day Celebration, so enjoy your visit and come again.