Portmarnock Juniors Tennis
Tennis is a great sport for all the family that can be played at any age and ability, a sport for life!
The main aim of the Junior Tennis programme at Portmarnock Tennis Club is to provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where children of all levels of ability can enjoy tennis and develop their skills through coaching, camps and competition.
We have over 300 Junior members (up to 14 years of age) at the Club enjoying the great facilities our membership includes:
Use of the courts all throughout the year
Access to our comprehensive coaching program
Happy Hitters
Camps (during the school holidays)
Competitions & other Events
Use of the courts all throughout the year
We love to see our junior members practicing their tennis skills in a social environment and encourage them to use the courts when they can. Junior Members, once supervised by an Adult Member, can book a court for friendly games, hitting etc. from 8am to 7pm each day. Junior members can play beyond 7pm provided the court isn’t needed by an Adult Member.
Junior Members who are playing league on behalf the club can play past 7pm provided they are either supervised by either their Parent or Guardian (Adult Member) or accompanied by a fellow league player (i.e. an unrelated Adult Member).
All court bookings must be made through our Club Manager booking system which can be accessed here.
Our Comprehensive Coaching Programme
Our Coaching Programme is open to all members in line with the school term.
Our Head Coach Mark Dempsey, along with his team of coaches, manages the junior programme at our club.
Coaching sessions are usually arranged by ability and termed either “red, orange, green or yellow ball”. The typical age range for each is below and our Head Coach Mark Dempsey can help any parent with choosing the right session for their child.
Red ball – from 5-8 years approx.
Orange ball – from 8-10 years approx.
Green ball – from 9-10 years approx.
Yellow ball – 10 years+
Coaching terms are typically 8-10 weeks in duration and payable in advance – dates, times etc. are circulated via email about 3 weeks before each term starts. Places will be filled on a first come basis and based on court capacity/ coach to child ratio.
Happy Hitters
Happy Hitters is a great initiative by one of our junior members with the aim of giving our younger members a fun introduction to tennis (4-7 year olds).
It takes place every Saturday morning (from 9-10am) and the cost is €5 and prepaid in advance.
Please contact a member of the Junior Committee if you wish to be added to the whatsapp group.
Camps
Camps are run during school breaks and are a great way for primary school children to meet their friends and practice their tennis skills in a fun (and sometimes sunny) environment. Camps are payable in advance with dates, times etc. circulated via email about 6 weeks before the first week they commence. Just to note, camps are bookable for full weeks only.
Competitions & Other Events
Annual Junior Championships – this takes place in August each year and is a great way for children to compete in singles and doubles events and win prizes
American (fun) Tournaments – these are arranged throughout the year for our junior members to experience competitive tennis
Charity Tournaments – these are another great way for our junior members to practice their skills, mix with friends and get their hands on goodies and for our Club to contribute to worthy causes
Annual Parent and Child event – this usually takes place in early December each year and is a great way to get our parents involved by playing doubles tennis with their kids. Players can dress up in their best festive gear, listen to some Christmas tunes and have fun playing tennis in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment.
How to join
To become a member of the Portmarnock Tennis Club you must first be a member of the PSLC. If you aren’t currently a member of the PSLC you’ll need to apply for this before completing an application form for the Tennis Club. Please contact the PSLC on (01) 846 2122 or visit www.pslc.ie to enquire about becoming a member of the PSLC.
Once your PSLC membership has been confirmed, please complete and return this membership form to PSLC reception in a clearly marked envelope ‘For the attention of the Tennis Club’. Please also email the Tennis Club Committee (click here) to advise that you are a confirmed member of the PSLC and have submitted an application for the Tennis Club to the PSLC.