About the club

Completely rebuilt in 1998-99 as a result of a Sport England National Lottery grant, Woodfield Grove Tennis Club has 3 cushioned acrylic tennis courts plus a further macadam court, all of which are floodlit so play is possible throughout the year up until 10 pm at night.

Refurbished in the spring of 2008, the modern two-storey clubhouse offers a licensed lounge bar and has a kitchen with a hot drinks vending machine and wireless broadband available to members throughout the day.

We are primarily a tennis club with strong community links and a lively social section.

A quiet room upstairs is used for Bridge and Chess, while there are separate changing and shower facilities for men and women.

There is easy access for the disabled, including a lift for getting upstairs.

Club Sessions

Anyone may join the club but members wishing to play in Club Sessions are required to meet a minimum standard to ensure they know how to serve, score and follow basic court etiquette.

No playing-in is required for juniors.

To integrate players of varying standards and provide set times when members can get together to play a game, and providing there are sufficient members present, Club Sessions take place on:

Mornings

• Wednesdays from 10am - 1pm

• Fridays from 10am - 1pm

Afternoons

• Saturdays from 2.30pm - 5.30pm

• Sundays from 3.30pm - 5.30pm

Evenings

• Wednesdays from 7pm - 10pm

All playing members meeting the minimum criteria are welcome to join in at these club times when a Pegboard system is used to make up sets on a rotational basis.

Members may use the courts outside club sessions between 9 am and 10 pm and are issued with an entry swipe card to enable access to club facilities.

Coaching is available to help newcomers attain the required minimum standard for Club Sessions or help to improve their games.

Click here for details on our coaching programme.

 

 

 

 

History

Woodfield Grove Tennis Club has been an integral part of the local scene in Streatham, South London, since 1924 when it was first founded by the builders of the surrounding houses.

It was completely rebuilt in 1998-99 as a result of a Sport England National Lottery grant and refurbished internally in 2008.

In 2010 remedial works to the balcony were conducted to rectify some structural design flaws in the clubhouse.

Primarily a tennis club with strong community links and a lively social section, there is also a quiet room upstairs that is used for Bridge and Chess, while there are separate changing and shower facilities for men and women with easy access for the disabled, including a lift for getting upstairs.

The Club's golden era was in the 1970s when it fielded several teams in county competitions and played some 31 friendly matches throughout the year with local clubs.

Originally the clubhouse was built to serve the needs of a small local communal membership. It had gas lighting and heating which was replaced by electricity in 1963.

The land was rented on three-year leases, which did not encourage long term investment so, in 1956, the club negotiated a 21 year lease with the landlord at £100 a year plus half that amount paid into a joint account for improvements.

1967 was the turning point year when Woodfield Grove Tennis Club bought the freehold of the property from the widow of the original landlord at a price of £2,250 (£21,000 today).

Because of the club's record of coaching beginners and juniors, a grant of £900 was obtained from the Ministry of Education and a low interest (3%) loan of £800 from the Lawn Tennis Association. The balance of £550 was found from interest-free debentures from some members and loans paying 5% interest from others. The LTA loan was paid off in full by 1975.

A full history of the club is available here

WiFi and Website

Wireless broadband was introduced to the club in 2008, alongside a new dedicated website with club’s own domain name – woodfieldgrovetennis.net.

Members enjoy a secure area through which they can make online court bookings and keep updated on activities.

This area also contains a database of member contact details.

In 2011 the club expanded into social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.