Sign up for new Christchurch Meadows Tennis Court Booking

Tennis at Christchurch Meadows

TENNIS fans are encouraged to sign up for a new court booking system at Christchurch Meadows Tennis Courts.

The Council is working with the Lawn Tennis Association and a local tennis operator, GDTennis, to introduce a new paid tennis court booking system at Christchurch Meadows from April 2018. People are encouraged to register for the new system in advance of its launch. Annual membership for the whole household will be available; as well as pay and play options on a casual basis. The new courts booking system, ClubSpark, will enable customers to view court availability and book and pay for courts online (including using the booking app on smart phones). The Council will also be working with its partners to introduce more programmed activities onsite, lessons for all ages and abilities, and tennis tournaments. Christchurch has four hard courts that are open all year round. Work to clean and re-paint the courts took place in March 2017.

Cllr Sarah Hacker, Reading’s Lead Member for Sport, said:

“The positive changes we are planning to introduce at Christchurch Tennis Courts will bring a host of benefits for tennis players and I hope it will encourage more people to take up the sport locally. I also encourage people who are interested to sign up in advance of the new booking system’s launch this April.” For more information and to register, visit: https://christchurchmeadowstennis.co.uk  

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Notes

The Council aim to provide new and varied opportunities to learn and play tennis at Christchurch Meadows for the next 3-5 years, in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and a local tennis coaching company, GDTennis. GDTennis will provide an on-site presence during the peak months of the year, supervising use of the courts and offering a varied programme of tennis activities and coaching opportunities for players of all ages and standards throughout the year. Tennis sessions will be delivered by LTA qualified and accredited coaches and provide increased opportunities for local residents to get active and stay healthy. A number of special events and activities will also be planned and hosted onsite. Access to the tennis courts is currently free, whilst people register and get used to using the new booking system, ready for the introduction of the changes in April 2018.

Court Booking System

GDTennis will manage the booking systems and programme of activity to allow courts to be used throughout the year. The new courts booking system, ClubSpark, will provide the opportunity for participants to use the courts in a number of ways: · buy a key fob/swipe card that is eligible for use for their entire household for an annual fee of £40 for Reading residents (£45 for non-residents), enabling them to play as much tennis as they like for only 77 pence per week. · Pay and play options will still be available for people who wish to access courts less frequently and fees will continue to be set by the Council through the fees and charges process annually. · In addition to the pay to access sessions, a number weekly free court slots will be made available to be booked on a first come, first served basis. In addition to the online booking it will also be possible to contact GDTennis by telephone to answer enquiries or book other tennis related activities.

Useful links:

www.lta.org.uk http://gdtennis.co.uk https://clubspark.lta.org.uk