Sarah Jones appointed Independent Chair of Tennis Wales
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Following a competitive recruitment campaign, Tennis Wales is delighted to announce the appointment of Sarah Jones as new Independent Chair and non-executive Director of the national governing body of tennis and padel in Wales.
Sarah - who is Country Director (Wales) for the Princes’ Trust - has a wealth of knowledge and experience of the Welsh sporting landscape. She is a previous CEO of Wales Netball, and has worked at Welsh Gymnastics and the Welsh Rugby Union.
Sarah, from South Wales, enjoyed an outstanding tennis career and represented Wales various times and competed internationally. As a coach she has held numerous roles including at the former National Tennis Centre in Cardiff.
Tennis is an enduring passion for Sarah and being able to give back to the sport as Chair is an opportunity she relishes as Tennis Wales develops and implements its tennis opened up strategy across Wales for the 2024 – 2026 cycle.
She said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair of Tennis Wales and to continue the great progress Neil, and the Tennis Wales team have made. Tennis changed my life for the better, both as a player and coach and am looking forward to being able to give back to the sport and help lead it through its next strategic period.“
Current Chair Neil O’Doherty, who steps down in May 2024 after six years with the organisation and two years as Chair, said: “We’ve achieved a huge amount in the last few years and whilst I will be sad to move on from the Tennis Wales Board from May, I have every confidence that Sarah will prove to be a fantastic appointment.
“The sport has grown considerably in recent years, navigated the pandemic and welcomed thousands of new players in both tennis and now padel. I wish Sarah and the organisation all the very best and look forward to seeing how the organisation grows further with her support.”
Sarah will formally take over the role following the Annual General Meeting being held on Saturday 11 May at Sport Wales in Sophia Gardens. With more than 1,100 tennis courts across Wales, 176,000 adults participating annually and over 24,000 children playing tennis each week, it’s an exciting period to join the organisation.
