19 June 2012 | Tennis Victoria

As Tennis Victoria’s Championships Dinner on 25 June draws closer, we take a look at the finalists in each category; today, we look at the Coaching Excellence – Club or Centre award.

This award, presented by Tennis Warehouse Australia, is to recognise a coach who, during the nomination period (1 May, 2011 to 30 April, 2012) has delivered an outstanding variety of programs, is heavily involved with their club and has formed strong ties with the general community to help grow the game. They are organised and dedicated to provide efficient coaching and to ensure that their assistant coaches are adequately trained and receive constant professional development opportunities.

Aidan Fitzgerald

Aidan Fitzgerald is a coach from Bairnsdale Tennis Club who provides extensive guidance and support to his players. He has a proven track record for motivating younger players to change from school tennis to competition tennis, with over 80% of his players engaging in competitive matches regularly. Aidan runs a diverse range of programs to suit everyone. He guarantees that no one misses out on an opportunity by providing equipment and support to those who need it. He is also heavily involved in the local community and supports other local sporting clubs. He attends committee meetings and helps support Bairnsdale Tennis Club’s annual tournaments. Aidan is efficient in his administrative duties and ensures that his coaching programs are affordable and well organised.

Peter Joyce

Ballarat Regional Tennis Centre coach Peter Joyce provides a variety of programs to cater for the different needs within his local community. He has extensive expertise in MLC Tennis Hot Shots, junior coaching and elite player development. Peter works with local schools in the area and provides introductory tennis sessions to students who have never played tennis before. Peter assists his club in all areas by helping at tournaments, assisting with court maintenance and helping at working bees. Peter has four assistant coaches and helps to ensure their training is up-to-date by providing monthly professional development programs. Of all the players currently receiving coaching, 68% regularly compete in local competitions. Peter has also had a fantastic response to his MLC Tennis Hot Shots program, with a 100% increase in participant numbers over the last 12 months.

Shane Scrutton

With 10 years of experience under his belt, Shane Scrutton has developed excellent coaching and mentoring skills at Eaglemont Tennis Club. He has been involved with local schools in his area for the past eight years and has a wonderful relationship with the local community. Shane is very successful at bringing students from schools into the coaching and competitive world of tennis, with 82 out of the 95 players involved in competitive matches regularly. He achieves great exposure for his programs by using local media and a specially designed coaching website, containing valuable information. Shane is also involved heavily with the committees at the club and has managed to increase the number of Pennant teams at the club over the past year.

Tickets are still available for the dinner which will be a celebration of our local champions, Pat Cash’s Wimbledon triumph 25 years ago and Victorian tennis as a whole. You are invited to come along and attend this fantastic event, and members receive a discounted rate when booking a table of 10.

Affiliate/member table of 10 – $1300
Table of 10 – $1500
Individual – $150 each

Book your seat/table at this inaugural event now by downloading and submitting the Championships Dinner booking form.

For more information, please visit the Championships Dinner page on our website.