Goole Tennis Centre came third in the ‘Sports Club of the Year’ awards ceremony in London last night.
CCPR, the alliance of national governing bodies of sport and recreation, held its prestigious ‘Sports Club of the Year’ awards ceremony in London last night. Amongst the winners of the awards, presented by sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe MP and world cup winner Jason Leonard, was Goole Tennis Centre.
In association with the Foundation for Sport and the Arts (FSA) and runningsports, CCPR recognises sports clubs which have made an outstanding contribution within their community. The six finalists had all shown exceptional commitment and dedication in providing opportunities to make sport inclusive and accessible for all. The winners were awarded cash prizes between £1,000 and £6,000.
In the view of the judges, in the past 18 months, Goole Tennis Centre, which finished in joint third place, has experienced a huge increase in membership with over 300 members now participating in year-round tennis. By providing outreach programmes amongst smaller clubs and creating relationships with sports partnerships and local schools, Goole ran taster sessions in 53 schools in a three week period introducing 5,000 children to tennis. Actively working to ensure low cost tennis for the local community, Goole has an established relationship with a local inclusion fund.
Tim Lamb, CCPR chief executive, said:
“CCPR is proud to present the Sports Club of the Year awards and to recognise community sports clubs in this way. Their volunteers devote countless hours of their time encouraging participation in sport and it’s only right that this contribution is highlighted on nights like this.
“Goole Tennis Centre provides a wealth of opportunities for participation and is an example to clubs right across the country. The people of Goole are very fortunate to have such a beacon of excellence in the area.”