Tennis Scotland has revealed the shortlist for its 2023 Awards with eight Edinburgh and Lothian based clubs, teams, and programmes shortlisted in seven of the most prestigious award categories.
Held at Stirling Court Hotel on Friday 31 March in front of an audience of over 100 members of the tennis community, the Tennis Scotland Awards are a key part of the tennis calendar in Scotland and celebrate the success and hard work within the community game all the way through to the world stage. This year, the awards will be marking an incredible year of growth in the sport with tennis memberships soaring to an all-time high of 75,000.
With last year’s award winners celebrated at the esteemed Davis Cup Finals in Glasgow, the Tennis Scotland Awards return as a stand-alone black-tie event hosted by special guest and comedian Josh Berry.
Twenty-four-year-old Finn McLean and twenty-eight-year-old Katie Hoch have been shortlisted for the Development Coach of the Year award, recognising their contributions to their clubs.
Finn McLean, a full-time coach at Craiglockhart Tennis Centre and Joppa Tennis Club, works to increase tennis participation in East Lothian by offering more local competitions for children embarking on their tennis journey. Hoch is recognised for her work at Abercorn Sports Club to get more women and girls involved in the sport.
Teresa Tait was born in Uphall West Lothian, and currently plays at Elgin Tennis Club and Rothes Tennis Club where she has been shortlisted for the Volunteer of the Year award.
Teresa is inspired by Sue Barker and Virginia Wade and aspires to organise more girls events at her club to increase club participation.
Abercorn LTC have been shortlisted for Club of the Year for their continued work to build a coaching programme to include specific activities for women and girls, with a focus on a pathway for progression from beginners to intermediate.
One of Tennis Scotland’s Development Apprentices, Luke Turnbull, is up for the Rising Star award.
Luke Turnbull has competed for Great Britain’s Learning Disability Tennis team in the past and is currently working towards obtaining his Level 2 qualification while coaching to help players of all ages and abilities reach new heights.
On the shortlist for the Park Venue of the Year award is the city centre’s Meadows Park, who host league games and deliver their junior and adult social coaching programmes at Edinburgh Leisure’s Meadows facility.
Open days, tournaments and events were hosted throughout the year to help support new member growth and reduce court-hire costs during the summer months. These initiatives saw over 23,000 players utilise the courts over the course of the year.
St Serfs Men’s First team are on the shortlist for Team of the Year. The team were undefeated in VMH East of Scotland Division 1 2022 season and went on to win the league.
The three-court club has also been recognised for cultivating a great social environment for all members, which has been reflected on the court through the team’s consistent results.
The East Lothian Open has been shortlisted for Competition of the Year which has been recognised for outstanding organisation and delivery as well as creating a welcoming and enjoyable environment for players and spectators.
The East Lothian Open comprises of almost 40 different events which cater to different abilities and were the first Open Grade 3 tournament in Scotland.
Blane Dodds, Tennis Scotland Chief Executive, said: “It has been a very successful year for tennis in Scotland with record membership numbers and events like the Davis Cup Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals being hosted in Scotland.
“With record entries across many competitions, tennis is clearly thriving, and we have decided to return to an Awards dinner to celebrate, with our award nominees and winners, what has been another fantastic year for tennis in Scotland on Friday, 31 March.
We are proud to announce the shortlist for 2023 and recognise the individuals that played their part in growing and developing tennis over the last year. I would like to congratulate everyone who has been shortlisted and look forward to announcing the winners soon.”
The shortlist for the Tennis Scotland Awards 2023 recognises the contributions of individuals, clubs, programmes, and competitions that played a key role in growing the game in 2022.
Twenty-six nominees have been announced across 10 categories, with the winners earning a place at the LTA British Tennis Awards.
The full shortlist of finalists can be viewed here: https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/in-your-area/tennis-scotland/news/tennis-scotland-awards-shortlist-2023/
For learn more about the Tennis Scotland Awards, please visit www.tennisscotland.org or follow @TennisScotland on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.