Award win for Crawley’s park tennis

Judges were impressed by the upgraded facilities offered on the nine courts at three venues across the town and the activities to encourage wider participation by people who might not otherwise have played.

Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing, Councillor Chris Mullins, said: “This was a well-deserved award to recognise the effort and enthusiasm with which tennis has been promoted in Crawley, and we have plans for this year to grow participation even more.”

Free weekly sessions with the coaching provider were held at West Green Park for people aged 16 and over with a learning disability, and they are set to continue this year. A similar programme will also run for people with a mental health diagnosis, as well as regular free sessions for all-comers.

More than 100 people took part in Tennis For Free sessions during 2023, and there were 182 families making use of the household annual pass for just £45. There were also more than 800 pay-and-play bookings.

Crawley now moves forward to judging for the regional award, and potentially a national award if successful there.

Councillor Mullins added: “The £270,000 investment we made jointly with the LTA to refurbish the courts last year is really paying off with the growth of the game locally led by our Crawley Wellbeing team. They have some fantastic ways to get involved if you’ve never played much tennis before and looking for a way to start.”

Carly Washington, part of the Tennis Sussex judging panel and awards organiser, said: “This award was one of the most challenging awards to determine a winner with so many great nominations. However, Crawley’s nomination just stood out to all the judges for all the hard work and investment put into Crawley Council-owned courts that were so underutilised previously. Congratulations to the whole team at Crawley Parks Tennis.”

There is also the chance to be a part of the award-winning tennis offer in Crawley with a volunteering opportunity at Free Park Tennis, a new free one-hour community session in West Green Park. Crawley Wellbeing are looking for enthusiastic people to help others get the most from the sessions; you don’t need to be an accomplished player and online training will prepare the volunteers.

In order to become a Free Park Tennis Activator, please complete the onboarding process at the LTA website or email [email protected] if you would like to discuss further. Activators must be aged at least 18 and sessions will start in the spring.

Funding for the court refurbishments was secured from the government and Lawn Tennis Association’s Tennis Foundation.

For more information on using Crawley Borough Council’s tennis courts, visit the website.