About Tennis Midlands
Tennis Midlands is one of only four LTA International High Performance Centres in the UK. We have been recognised by the governing body of our sport as providing an elite training environment capable of and proven to produce professional tennis players.
The Tennis Midlands elite player pathway provides talented and ambitious young performers with a unique opportunity to combine an international full-time training programme with a quality academic education. All academic, tennis, and physical training needs are catered for on-site at our impressive facility on the Loughborough University campus. Loughborough University is world-renowned for its reputation in sporting excellence and academic achievement. We also offer an access programme for those wishing to supplement their existing training programmes.
At Tennis Midlands we deliver cutting edge and highly individualised performance training for athletes of all ages who have international potential and aspiration. We operate a unique 'cradle-to-the-tour' holistic long-term player development programme comprising:
Superminis Academy (ages 6-10)
International High Performance Programme (ages 10+) Professional Tennis Apprenticeship Programme (ages 16+)
With our unique and highly-individualised approach to developing young people and promoting our sport we have made it our mission to achieve the following 4 long-term goals:
1. To provide a world-renowned tennis training environment with a reputation for producing professional tennis players;
2. To actively promote tennis as a 'game for life', providing our players with multiple tennis pathways, thus ensuring a life-time involvement in the sport;
3. To be at the forefront of performance tennis in the UK and to motivate the Midlands region by creating professional opportunities for local coaches and other tennis stakeholders;
4. To work closely with the Lawn Tennis Association in promoting the game, attracting talent, identifying talent and training talent.
Tennis Midlands Chief Executive Tony Billings is both an LTA qualified coach and
Chartered Certified Accountant. He has over 30 years experience in business and
has worked in tennis for the last 20 years. Tony recently achieved his PhD in Finance.
Tennis MIdlands Director of Operations Paula Horobin is a LTA Level 3 coach with 30 years of experience in tennis. She is a former County Performance Officer for Leicestershire, coach of national champions and is, herself, a national standard tennis player.
Director of International High Performance David Ireland was a top international junior player as well as a professional player on multiple Davis Cup squads. He is widely recognised as one of Britain's foremost coaches of international junior players and currently coaches professional hopefuls Chris Pearce, Connor Glennon, Peter Ashley, Shakeel Manji, Chris Egan-Morriss, Harry Edwards, and Freya Christie.
Head of Tennis Mark Winship is an LTA PCA qualified coach and a graduate of Loughborough University (BSc Sports Science, Physical Education, and Geography). Mark won the coveted BTCA Young Coach of the Year Award in 2005. Mark was coach to LTA Ariel Grand Prix Masters Champion Scott Whitbread and is currently coach to rising stars Bjorn Thomson, Sam Ferguson, Ceire Mullins, Dominic West, Alice Hill, and Hannah Davey.
Head of Coaching Phil Newbury graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc in Sports Science & Physical Education. He is an LTA PCA qualified coach and won the BTCA Young Coach of the Year Award in 2004. Phil is coach to several exciting young prospects including Daniel Little, Dominic West, Marcus Walters, and Harry Finney.
Please browse the menu on the left of the page for more details relating to our tennis and academic programmes.
