Tennis league launches in parks - Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Adult tennis players are being encouraged to join an outdoor tennis league

The Potteries Park Tennis League is a new competition for anyone aged 18 and over, designed to make it easy for them to play friendly, competitive tennis matches without the need to join a club.

Run by Local Tennis Leagues Ltd, with the support of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Newcastle Borough Council, the league grades players into groups of six to eight people, to make sure people playing each other are of similar abilities. Players are put in contact with each other to arrange mutually convenient times to play.

The matches can take place on courts at eight locations in the area including Draycott Sports Centre in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Sally Kinnes, co-founder of Local Tennis Leagues, said: "We are delighted to be running a new league across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle in the new Potteries Park Tennis League.

“Tennis is one of the healthiest sports you can play and the league is a great opportunity to keep fit and make new tennis friends. Our players enjoy the flexibility of playing matches when it suits but also having a close match when they do play."

Entry to the league costs £15 per round and each player has between five to seven matches to play. Players can use any court that suits them both and submit their results online for others to see.

Rory McCutcheon, regional tennis competition co-ordinator for the LTA, said: “Tennis is thriving across the county at the moment with Great Britain winning the Davis Cup last year and Wimbledon not far around the corner.

“Across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle there are a huge amount of public tennis playing facilities, and on top of this both local authorities are keen to increase the amount of opportunities available for the general public, so this made the perfect match to start a league in the area.Whatever your ability, why not pick up a racket and give the league a go?”

The league will officially launch on June 2. There are currently 90 leagues nationally and more than 5,000 people have played in a local tennis league in the last 18 months. The winner of each group wins a certificate and tennis prizes.

Councillor Terry Follows, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Tennis is one of the hallmarks of the British summer but watching Wimbledon on television is no substitute for getting out there and playing the real thing yourself.

“This league is a fantastic opportunity for people to play sport and exercise, get outdoors and make new friends during our year as the UK’s European City of Sport. We have some excellent parks and green spaces in Stoke-on-Trent, many of which have achieved Green Flag status, and it’s brilliant to see them being used for such a community orientated event like this.”

To enter, and for more information, visit https://www.localtennisleagues.com/potteries.