The Chairman’s Statement

David Watson, Chairman

Our Annual Report aims to report on and commemorate key events and achievements in the past year. However for most of us this year is, I suspect, one that we would rather forget and focus instead on the future.

Our mission

Participation

This year was one where Court availability and social distancing dictated that it would be hard simply to get members on court let alone to attract new players. We are pleased that so many of our members have retained their love and enthusiasm for our games.

Facilities

A number of courts have used the opportunity afforded by court closures to renew or enhance their facilities. Notable for me was the replacement of the Bickley floor at Moreton Morrell – admirably captured in time-lapse video. This was a brave but well researched project that has delivered not only a magnificent result but also a wealth of knowledge that will be of benefit in the future. Much that has been done in Tennis now needs to be repeated in Rackets where the challenges of recruitment, training and promoting the game are equally urgent

Professionals

Our mission to recruit and train new professionals and to help existing professionals to improve their skills has remained a major focus. Whilst interviews and recruitment plans were inevitably delayed I am delighted by the progress made by the Investing in Professionals (IiP) programme. Senior professionals have contributed their expertise to build training modules and a number of existing professionals have shown leadership and risen to the challenge of learning new skills and re-proving existing ones. We have been delighted to appoint new trainees in the last few months and more are in the pipeline. Much that has been done in Tennis now needs to be repeated in Rackets where the challenges of recruitment, training and promoting the game are equally urgent. We believe that the role of the Rackets professional in schools is changing as economics and seasonality dictate that professionals will need to be multi-skilled and play a broader teaching and pastoral role in their schools. We therefore plan to take all the learning from IiP and hope to achieve similar results.

The Board

We welcomed Rory Sutton as Rackets Chair and he has brought real clarity and focus to the agenda as well as attracting new members and energy to the Rackets Committee. The Board has met with increased frequency using remote working tools and this has enabled broader engagement in our agenda. The Board and Games Committees are always looking for new volunteers and virtual meetings have proved that proximity to the South East is by no means a pre-requisite for participation. I am determined that this will remain the case to help ensure that all regions and interests are effectively represented. The office has continued to function effectively while working from home although we have made careful use of furlough where demands on our services allowed.

Membership

Although it is too early to properly judge the long-term consequences, at present membership numbers have remained resilient despite restrictions on our ability to play. I am grateful to Members, Clubs and their Boards for their sustained support for the game and for their contribution to and adherence to the safe return to play guidelines we have published.

The future

There is an exciting new court opened for play in Bordeaux and other international prospects ahead in the near future. Closer to home our Courts remain secure but we urgently need to support an active return to play and to do our best to ensure that all young people can access our games and that our courts are vibrant and well used places. We must look ahead with enthusiasm and ambition and build an exciting future for our historic games.