If you help run a tennis club in Wales and you’re wondering how to get funding, you’ve come to the right place.
We take a look at five tennis clubs that have been supported by our Be Active Wales Fund as well as our A Place for Sport Fund, which is in collaboration with Crowdfunder.
Take note, maybe your tennis club will be next in line to receive one of our grants…
Lighting the way at Stow Park Lawn Tennis Club
If you need to replace your club’s floodlights, then listen up. Stow Park Lawn Tennis Club in Newport applied to our Be Active Wales Fund and secured more than £22000 towards the installation of new, LED, energy-efficient floodlights.
The club said: “The LED lights will give us an energy cost saving of nearly 50%. They require very little maintenance and will mean that our players will have a much better experience on court. We have a lot of women and girls who play here, and the better lighting will make our club even safer.”
And what’s more, with the cost of living still high, the club’s ongoing drive to become more sustainable means their members will benefit from the energy saving in reduced fees. Now that’s what we call an ace serve.
Sport Wales’ Top Tip: Projects that help to keep sport accessible to your community by keeping costs down are more likely to be accepted.
Helping tennis in Aberystwyth to thrive
Need resurfacing work? Well, so did Aberystwyth Tennis Club and it applied to Sport Wales’ Be Active Wales Fund.
Without funding, the club feared it would impact on the number of people able to play tennis at the club. What’s more, the nearest tennis clubs are 16 miles in one direction and 42 miles in the other.
The club received a grant of £50,000 towards their project and is now hoping that the new courts will see another twenty years of tennis in Aber.
Sport Wales’ Top Tip: For projects over £25k, make sure you can contribute 20% of the total. Sport Wales can offer a grant of 80% for these more expensive projects. Aberystwyth contributed the remaining £13k toward the £63k total they needed.
Becoming more family-friendly in Cowbridge
If you have an idea that would really improve your club, then pay attention. Cowbridge Tennis Club in the Vale of Glamorgan wanted its space to be more family-friendly.
It dreamt of an outdoor shelter and an improved patio space with seating where families could watch their children take part. And of course, on a rainy day, children could take shelter.
It turned to Sport Wales’ A Place for Sport Fund. It offers clubs the opportunity to engage with their community and raise money through Crowdfunder. And if they hit their fundraising target, Sport Wales steps in with extra money to support the project.
And in May 2022, the Cowbridge club raised almost £18,000 in just 56 days with Sport Wales pledging over £4,000 of that total.
Sport Wales’ Top Tip: Encourage people to donate to your project by offering unique rewards. Find out what Holyhead Rugby Club offered for their Crowdfunder.
Check out Cowbridge’s Crowdfunder project.
Reaching even more children in Caerphilly
Aiming to reach even more children, Caerphilly Lawn Tennis Club was awarded almost £3,500 for coaching courses and equipment.
It means the club will have four new, qualified assistant coaches to grow the tennis club even further – it plans to tackle its waiting list, expand its junior programme and take tennis into the community at local parks. The grant will also help grow the LTA Youth Start courses which has given children from one of Wales’ most deprived areas the opportunity to play.
The club also received funding for a ball machine, so that players can hone their skills, as well as an iPad which will help the club with bookings, admin duties and its social media presence. This club is on the up!
Sport Wales’ Top Tip: Want to engage more people in physical activity using technology? The Be Active Wales Fund could support you!
New coaches at Penyffordd
Last year, Penyffordd Tennis Club in Flintshire was handed a grant from our Be Active Wales Fund for brand new floodlighting. And it’s had a big impact with a sizeable increase in membership and a high demand for coaching sessions.
So, the club applied again this year and it’s ploughing their latest grant into training up female coaches. And with new coaches, the club is planning to expand its women and girls’ initiatives, as well as introducing walking tennis.
The club, eager to involve the entire community, is hoping that their walking tennis sessions will attract a broader audience and really place it at the heart of the community.
Sport Wales’ Top Tip: Make the most of our funding. You could secure a grant from the Be Active Wales Fund once every financial year.
All change at Monmouth Sports Association
Ok, so it’s not strictly a tennis club. Monmouth Sports Association is actually made up of local football, rugby, cricket, bowls and – yes – tennis clubs. Run by a group of volunteers from the various clubs, the Association decided it was high time its pavilion received a facelift.
With tired and dated changing rooms and function area, the Association decided to have a go at crowdfunding. Keen to create a welcoming environment and make the space available to other community groups, it was successful in raising more than £22,000.
£6,000 of the club’s impressive total was secured through a contribution from Sport Wales’ A Place for Sport Fund.
With dedicated facilities for women and girls, the clubs now expect to see an increase in female participation. It also hopes that it can now claim its rightful place at the heart of Monmouth’s sporting community.
Here is Monmouth’s Crowdfunder project
Sport Wales’ Top Tip: Looking to install changing rooms specifically for females? Create a more welcoming environment for women and girls by Crowdfunding.
Looking to improve the facilities at your club? Find out how to start your Crowdfunder journey with Sport Wales today. Need more equipment or coaching courses for your volunteers? Here’s how to apply for the Be Active Wales Fund.