Recent drone footage highlights the significant changes that have been made to the Club over the last four years, with a total investment in court improvements that have exceeded £200,000. The investment was made in support of the Club’s objective to “advance the game of tennis in Wargrave and the surrounding area by encouraging and supporting more players, of all ages and abilities, to play better competitive or social tennis, in an environment that is fun, safe and inclusive.”
LED Floodlights and Artificial Clay in 2024 and 2025
Major work started in 2022 with the introduction of new competition-level LED floodlights on all courts, a change backed by over 80% of our members, and that has helped deliver significant savings in our energy bills. This was followed by the move to red all-weather artificial clay on courts 1 and 2 in 2024, and on courts 3 and 4 in April 2025, a move that had the backing of nearly 90% of all adult members in our most recent EGM online vote.
Padel and Pickleball Tennis from 2025
Club members also supported further improvements in 2025 with the introduction of Wargrave’s first padel court in May. This investment has proved to be incredibly popular with court hire charges for members from just £10 an hour. We have also encouraged the growth of pickleball with a new pickleball “show court” on court number 9, together with fresh pickleball lines on courts 5 and 6. Both padel and pickleball are two of the fastest-growing racket sports for all ages, and provide an excellent way for people to “get back into tennis” with formats that are much easier to master.
Other Changes in 2025
In addition to some of the major changes listed above, we have recently upgraded our remaining three hard tennis courts with new paint and lines, installed new benches on all courts, and enhanced club security and child safety with the introduction of entrance gates.
Growing Membership Numbers
With all these changes, the good news is that members are smiling, with 97% of members saying that they “would be happy to recommend a friend to the Club” in last November’s membership-wide survey. We are also delighted to have attracted over 100 new members since April, with total membership now at 430. This is a record high for the Club, for both adults and juniors, and represents a 44% increase since 2021 and a 30% rise in the last 12 months alone. Our members mainly live in Wargrave, with over 85% living within 3 miles of the Club. However, we are delighted to welcome many members who come from further afield, including for example Henley, Sonning, Twyford, Reading and Maidenhead.
Future Investment Ideas
Looking to the future, and subject to membership approval, the Club’s volunteer committee are considering plans to enlarge the current clubhouse by 2027, along with potential plans for a second padel court. More details will be shared during the AGM process, which we hope to launch in mid-October with online membership-wide voting that will be concluded by a full members’ meeting in early November.
