Cessnock District Tennis Club has welcomed new head coach Will O’Neil to the club, who has already brought about some new ideas to boost tennis in the area.
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O’Neil took over the position from his sister Christine – and like Christine, has a wealth of experience in the game.
He started playing at age six, and was the Hunter’s number one player for around seven years; he has been ranked in the world as a junior and senior, as well as played in the Australian Open as a junior.
O’Neil has a plethora of experience in the coaching arena as well, having coached for the past 25 years in the Hunter as well as overseas in the USA and Europe.
Both O’Neil and understudy coach Michael Tsakissiris are fully qualified coaches with ATPCA.
O’Neil’s wife Sonya is also now involved in the club, taking bookings, running day-to-day operations and doing administration.
The newest addition O’Neil has brought to the club is the Hot Shots program, a variation designed for kids from age four with lighter racquets, smaller courts and low-compression balls to allow children to ease into the sport.
O’Neil said this program is great for children to get started in tennis.
“It teaches the kids to get in and have fun with it,” he said.
He hopes the program will attract younger players to boost numbers in the club.
“We are hoping to try and build the numbers up, [and] juniors are the base of your club.”
The club will hold a free come-and-try day on February 7, from 11am to 1pm.
They are also planning a three-day kids’ camp in the next school holidays.
O’Neil said another benefit of the Hot Shots program is that it does not need to be played at the courts, and can be brought out to local schools.
The club also now offers re-stringing for tennis racquets as well as squash racquets.
The club is also looking to introduce a Wednesday night competition in the new Fast 4 format in the near future, with more details to come.
O’Neil said he hopes that the club will one day operate a pro-shop and host competitions.
“The facility is up to the mark, it is just a matter of getting the interest back,” he said.
The club is seeking an operator to lease the courts and run the competitions.
He encourages anyone to try tennis, as he believes there are many benefits in playing the game.
“[Tennis is a] great sport, it’s a sport you can play all your life, [it has] good camaraderie and you make life-long friends.”
For further information about these programs, contact Will on 0425 302 470 or Sonya on 0433 782 284.
