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Leamington Tennis and Squash Club has been named our Club of the Month in June, the culmination of an ambitious five-year plan that saw it transformed into a large-scale, volunteer-run club boasting a portfolio of world-class facilities.
The prudent plan, that was implemented back in 2015, consisted of five systematic objectives:
- To recruit an enthusiastic squash coach.
- To grow membership by offering appealing and varied squash programmes.
- To invest in new and upgraded squash facilities through grants and generation of club funds.
- To attract commercial revenue from courts, programmes and events.
- To invest in an upgraded clubhouse, gym and women’s changing facilities,
Alluding to the origins of their success, Ming Lee, former Squash Chairman at Leamington, said: “The journey started when the club took a calculated risk and recruited Jason Pike, a young and enthusiastic squash coach.
“Jason’s enthusiasm for squash has been infectious, proactively running school squash programmes, developing the club’s junior programme, and creating a vibe in the club which has helped squash membership to grow to over 500 members.
“More adult members now play squash at the oldest lawn tennis club in the world than tennis!”
Jason’s appointment as coach has been integral to the club’s success, laying the foundations for the journey that has seen it soar into one of the country’s most prestigious and modernised squash institutions.
Indeed, it was Jason who was awarded England Squash’s Club Coach of the Year award in 2016, testament to his dedication and ability to nurture young talent on the courts of Leamington.
One of the most popular initiatives at the club has been the weekly internal team league which sees teams of five players compete against each other every Thursday for half the year.
“Getting a diverse group of players with different abilities playing and socialising together has been great to integrate members and create a social cohesion in the club,” Ming said.
“Giving beginners and intermediaries the chance to play team squash has deepened the relationship with their game and they generally play and sign up for more coaching because they don’t want to let their team mates down.”
The most tangible sign of the club’s recent success has been the development of a range of new facilities, providing members with significantly enhanced provision in which to both hone their skills as well as socialise and relax.
And the construction of these new additions was the product of careful planning, with the club carefully forecasting cash flows and being awarded generous grants over previous years from England Squash, Sport England Inspired Facilities and Warwickshire Rural Urban Council Awards, in addition to an interest free loan from the LTA.
“Alongside the grants, membership growth has created a healthy annual operating cash inflow which has been the primary source of funds for development,” Ming said. “However, the clubhouse project was bigger and created a cash deficit which needed bridging.”
This problem was solved by taking the innovative approach of asking members to loan money to the club for four and five year periods with annual interest rates which are beneficial to both the club and members.
“Our club house project has been supported by the vast array of talents which our members have, crossing a multiple of industries and disciplines.
"I did the cashflow, and the architect, builder and interior designer was done by squash players. The project managers, members loan organiser and graphic designer are tennis players. Using members to support our project created more skin in the game to deliver a high quality outcome at volunteer or mates rates.”
“Our club does not organise events half-heartedly - when we opened our sixth court in 2016, we organised an opening celebration involving a line-up that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the final stages of a major PSA tournament!”
The organisation of creative events has been one of the most visible characteristics of this club. In 2017, 36 girls participated in the sport for the first time as part of a #SquashGirlsCan day, accompanied by 50 club members from across the country as well as six elite athletes.
“Running high-profile events has raised awareness of squash in the local community and helped to attract commercial revenue from local companies wanting to support a well-run community sports club and promote themselves to a growing and vibrant membership.”
“The foundations of the club are firmly in place,” believes Ming.
And the future looks bright for all those involved at Leamington, with over 200 members playing in the internal leagues, and this year witnessing the introduction of a sixth team in the Warwickshire League.
Popular demand has led to the running of a second squash tour to the PSA French Open in Nantes, while the club is also seeking to attract the attention of a professional in order to further bolster its profile and participation.
“If there are any young professionals out there looking for a club, Leamington would like to attract and support a club pro,” Ming said.
“The squash vibe continues to grow at Leamington, and the future looks bright!”
To find out more about Leamington, visit their website.
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