Your members don't just want tennis.
They want somewhere to belong.

From near-closure
to a waiting list

In 2020, Woburn Tennis Club in Hertfordshire had 30 members and no future. The old committee had left. The remaining members were asking for their money back. The courts sat mostly empty.

James Godber had been the club's coach for 17 years. Kevin Rand had just taken over as chair. Neither had a management playbook. They had something more useful – they paid attention to the people, not the courts.

They repainted the clubhouse at minus five degrees. They bought a coffee machine. They asked members to bring in their old tennis memorabilia. They created events that had nothing to do with tennis. And slowly, the club started to change.

Four years later, Woburn has over 200 members and an 80-person waiting list. A sceptical neighbour became member of the year. Members who've never played together know each other by name.

"Tennis is the by-product. Community is the product." Kevin Rand, co-founder, Clubmatch