Gary Drake Tennis
GDTennis have had a partnership with the University of Reading’s SportsPark for over 10 years and over this period of time, have grown one of the most successful coaching programmes in Berkshire. Boasting a programme with various group lessons to cater for players of any age or ability, you’ll be sure to find the tennis lesson that best suits your needs.
There are over 400 players in the weekly programme which consists of groups for children from the age of 4 years, right through to adults of all levels. The group lessons are fun, productive and sure to improve your game. These lessons take place inside the tennis dome which has 3 courts and allows year-round play regardless of the weather.
Coaching Sessions
Whether you are looking for fun holiday camps, consistent termly group coaching or individual lessons, GDTennis offers it all.
Group coaching – group sessions run every day of the week and there’s no need to worry about clashes with work or school times either with sessions taking place between 4pm and 8pm weekly. Our weekend sessions run from 9am on both Saturdays and Sundays. For more information about which group would suit you the best, don’t hesitate to contact the GDTennis Head Coach, Richard Law.
Holiday Camps – in between term-time coaching we also offer holiday camps. These sessions run from 10am-3pm Monday to Friday and provide a fun yet productive learning environment to further your child’s tennis abilities.
Individual lessons – our coaching team also offer individual lessons for those who are wanting a more direct coaching experience.
Please visit the GDTennis website for more information: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/TennisParkGDT
For any questions about the above information, please contact Richard Law at richard.law@gdtennis.co.uk or 07768390338.
Opportunities for UoR Students
University students who have a Level 1 or 2 qualification have the opportunity of part-time work as assistant coaches on court. GDTennis are always eager to help you improve your coaching abilities and qualifications. Furthermore, many of our teenage players are offered opportunities as Tennis Leaders, which can fulfil Duke of Edinburgh goals and even develop their own coaching abilities if they wish. If you are interested in any of these roles, please contact Head Coach, Richard Law.
Meet the Coaches
Our full-time coaching team consists of:
Richard Law – Head Coach, Level 4 qualified
Richard has over 20 years of coaching experience, spending 8 of them as the assistant head coach at a performance club in Sussex before moving to the University of Reading in 2017, taking up the head coaching role in 2021.
Jamie McKinnon – Head of Performance, Level 4 qualified
Jamie has 15 years of coaching experience and was a top 50 UK junior player. He has been the head coach at the University of Reading and Oxford Sports. He is now leading the performance programme here at the University.
Ben Granli-Khan – Head of Student Tennis, Level 3 qualified
Ben has been coaching at the University for 6 years. He has a strong playing background having played for the University, and winning his club tournament 5 times. He is currently the lead coach for the University teams.
Contact us
If you are interested in any of the above opportunities or have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact GDTennis who run a full-time office for enquiries and bookings.
0118 947 7885
Alternatively, if you have a more specific enquiry, players and parents can contact Head Coach, Richard Law at richard.law@gdtennis.co.uk or on 07768390338.
LTA Safeguarding
Please see below for information about about the LTA Safeguarding Policy.
We have a dedicated safeguard officer for the TennisPark who is Samantha Sumner s.m.sumner@reading.ac.uk
Anyone who does not feel comfortable raising a concern with the TennisPark Welfare Officer should contact the LTA Safeguarding team directly, the Reading Borough Council MASH team or the NSPCC.
Other useful contacts:
LTA Safeguarding Team – 020 8487 7000, safeguardinginclusive@lta.org.uk
Reading Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH team) – 0118 937 3641
NSPCC – 0808 800 5000