Q&A with Jonny Moore, LTA Level 3 Coach,
Skipton Tennis Centre
Jonny has been working at Skipton Tennis Centre for over 15 years. He is now head coach and leads on Skipton’s Aces coaching sessions for younger players aspiring to compete. He also coaches adults of all levels in both tennis and padel, organises the local school sports partnership and the ‘free-to-attend’ Sunday Sports sessions. Jonny was inspired to play tennis by the Agassi-Sampras rivalry and first picked up a plastic racket in the back garden with his dad. He played competitively between the age of 9-13 years, at which point a love of rugby union took priority and he continued to play to a decent level for the next 20 years. He got back into tennis through work experience with STC owner Adam. At the time, there was no club; they ran holiday camps and a programme at a local school. Jonny took his coaching qualification at Loughborough before enjoying three great years at Leeds Met (now Leeds Beckett University), studying Sports Science. By the time he graduated Skipton Tennis Centre was full established.
Tell us more about your physical and mental well-being programme for the community
“After Covid, we collaborated with a local charity and delivered our fully-funded ‘Sunday Sportathon’ on their behalf, promoting physical, social and mental wellness for families. Children aged 3-5 years joined in the activities with their parents/adults and siblings, which was an incredible success.
“The sessions were indoors in the sports hall and were based on physical literacy skills with balloons, all sorts of balls, rackets and other equipment and always involved free play. We ran the project for four years and received incredible feedback, as well as providing a pathway into Tennis Tots and Mini Tennis.
“I’ve seen my own child’s confidence grow after receiving lots of praise and support when learning new skills. He has developed a better attitude and is now more willing to have a try when he finds an activity challenging. This will definitely help him as he starts school. It’s also been lots of fun learning new games together.
“After four successful years, unfortunately the charity collaboration ended due to funding; but we loved the concept so much and saw the value it added to the community. So, we contacted local people and businesses, offering sponsorship opportunities and affiliation to the initiative.
“We now offer the sessions to all local families, with children 3-7 years old joining in with their adults indoors, as well as free supervised outdoor courts for families at the same time on Sunday morning.
“Through the project, we’ve learnt the power of collaboration and how important and impactful it is to offer opportunities to the community through sport and physical activity. The smiles on the faces of the children and adults says it all!
“In the future we’d love the relationships with sponsors to develop and continue to offer free-to-attend inspirational opportunities for all children in the community to try physical activity, tennis and other sports at Skipton Tennis Centre.”