Sunday, May 07, 2017

Tennis Club reopens for membership

Application forms are now available for Kilcullen Tennis Club which is back in operation from yesterday after many years of inactivity, writes Brian Byrne. The forms can be got by emailing kilcullentennisclub2016@gmail.com.

There are six membership price ranges, ranging from €45 a year for those aged 10 years and under to a family membership for €340 (of six persons, including a maximum of two Seniors).

Between those are 11-16 years (€55), 17 and 18 years (€65), Student (€65) and senior (€170).

As an aid to establishing the needs of the members with the new Club, applicants are asked to note if they are beginners, have played socially or have played competitively.

The restoration of the club has been a project of several years' duration headed by Eamonn O'Toole, who has secured grant funding from Kilcullen Development Association and commitments of business sponsorship. He has also been very hands-on in refurbishing the hard courts and has planned that there will be two grass courts.

New high fencing has been installed around the courts, and a new gate and fence to control access to the courts area is in place. In addition, the exterior of the Tennis Club building, built originally with funding from KDA, has been given a fresh coat of paint by the youth club KiYC who use and maintain the building. And the notoriously narrow entrance gate to the site has been widened.

Eamonn and helpers — seen here explaining the plans for the Club's development to Daithi O Se — spent Saturday at the Enterprise Town Expo 2017 talking with potential members, and they signed up quite a number to add to those who have already joined. He emphasises that the Club will be the membership, and that how it operates will be decided by the members and their committee.