REASONS UNDERLYING THE NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT

The Summerway Club provides Tennis for youngsters at a cost far below normal, which makes it a genuine grass roots organisation for the sport.  The affordable nature of the Club means that it falls within the budget of ordinary people normally excluded from the game by the expense.  Tennis, being a non-contact sport, is highly valuable as a healthy character builder capable of reaching a very wide spectrum of players of varying vigour and physical prowess.  The hugely successful partnership (between the qualified volunteers who provide the expertise and administration, and local government which provides and maintains the facilities) has provided a most valuable service to the community’s youth for nearly thirty years at a commendably reasonable cost to the community itself.  A similar service, commercially based to meet the salaries of paid staff, would have excluded by its consequent expense most of the children who have received benefit.  Summerway has been at full capacity for several years, and now is the perfect opportunity for development and expansion.

Objects of the Proposed Expansion

a) to allow more than one activity to take place at any given time

b) to ease overcrowding and improve safety during group coaching

c) to cope more adequately with the large number of beginners

d) to provide a more feasible base for the administration of tournaments

e) to enable an increase in membership

f) to develop links with eleven or more middle schools

g) to make facilities available to those middle schools in school hours

h) to add facilities suitable for any potential disabled playing member

i) to make possible some evening activities from October to March

j) to add a practice wall facility

k) to provide a shower and extend changing facilities

l) to provide secure overnight accommodation for equipment at times

m) to provide additional shelter from wind and rain during showers

n) to ease court availability for the Club’s internal Singles competition

o) to provide Tennis for still more families normally excluded by cost

p) to make provision for parking facilities

q) to provide incentive for voluntary group coaches

r) to enable playing members to maintain a coaching link beyond age 18

s) to provide incentive for the Committee and group coaching assistants

t) to encourage suitable members to consider a coaching qualification

u) to allow home friendly matches to be arranged without major disruption

v) to facilitate holiday courses open to both members and non-members

w) to enable “best of three sets” matches within the LTA Club Ratings scheme

x) to enable matchplay round robins open to all LTA registered juniors

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While little appears to be changing with regard to Summerway’s plans for expansion, appearances are deceptive.   A great deal of work is going on behind the scenes, especially on behalf of the Devon County Council and the Exeter City Council.  The Committee feels that this is the right time for the parents, relatives and friends of the playing membership to demonstrate their support for the expansion of the Club’s facilities, as important decisions are shortly to be made which are crucial to our future.  All parents are asked to attend one of the two meetings due to be held on Tuesday 20th June at 6.30pm and Wednesday 21st June at 6.40pm (during the youngsters’ coaching sessions) to see what can be done to enhance the possibilities of a successful outcome for the Club.  Your attendance will be greatly appreciated.