Durham & Cleveland LTA is the governing body for tennis and Padel in Clubs and Venues from Hutton Rudby in the south to Blaydon in the north, from Saltburn in the east to Barnard Castle in the west. Funded by a combination of Club registration fees, LTA support and sponsorship and run by volunteers, our goal is to build and support a vibrant and sustainable network of clubs, venues and coaches committed to achieving increased participation in tennis and the fast-growing sport of Padel in all parts of our area.
We work side by side with the LTA to achieve this objective, and have adopted the national strategy:
Tennis Opened Up
Tennis is for everyone and we aim to take it forward into the heart of all our communities across the County.
Growing tennis by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable.
We are here to help deliver the LTA’s mission of transforming communities through tennis, by making tennis welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring to everyone..
Teamwork– Working together to grow tennis
Passion – Enthusiasm that makes everyone want to be part of it
Integrity – Responsibility for our actions, doing what is right
Excellence – continuously striving to be the best we can
Tennis is a sport that can be played and enjoyed by young and old, and we are dedicated to ensuring that all our registered Clubs and venues are inclusive with the highest standard of equality and diversity at their core.
Alongside this work, we recognise the paramount importance of ensuring all tennis is offered in a safe environment, and we are responsible for setting and maintaining the highest standards of safeguarding and welfare in collaboration with our colleagues at the LTA. We ensure our Clubs and venues adopt and implement these standards and our Safeguarding Officer is always available to offer advice and support in the protection of the interests of children and vulnerable adults.
Finally, we are responsible for organising and running the County Coaching Programme and County Teams that compete in LTA national summer and winter competitions. We manage the County Junior Coaching programme, which identifies talented juniors from clubs throughout our area and provides a top quality performance coaching programme to put them on the pathway to ever greater success in their tennis careers.
We are very proud of the achievements of our County Teams, who are often competing against counties many times our size. Our Women’s and Men’s teams are currently in Group 5 of the LTA Summer County Cup and Group 3 of the Winter Cup. We also have 3 Women’s and 5 Men’s teams competing from Over 40’s to Over 70’s in the LTA Seniors County Cup, with our Women’s Over 60’s securing promotion to Division 1 in 2024.
Under the guidance of our County Coach Phil Wylie our Junior teams are reaching new heights of achievement at all levels from 8U through to 18U, and through that receiving national recognition for the excellence of their development.