Maryhill Tennis plays first ball before Wimbledon

MSP Bob Doris (left) and ASAP founder Stephen Koepplinger (right) with a volunteer coach and some of the Maryhill youngsters who can now play tennis.

Tennis courts that normally sit empty in a deprived area of Maryhill will be brought into use on Sunday 20 June – the day before Wimbledon starts.
A free, community, tennis competition for young people aged from 14 to 18 will be played at Maryhill Park, off Spence Street, G20 starting at 2pm.
Sports charity ASAP (After Schools Activities Programme) supported by tennis playing MSP Bob Doris and volunteers, have lobbed new life into the courts which have lain neglected and run-down for several years.
Young people from Glasgow, Barrhead and Giffnock will play in a friendly tournament on the courts which have been transformed with volunteer effort and will provide the culmination of five weeks’ free tennis coaching sessions that ASAP offered young people.
The event will be the first time that all five tennis courts have been in a playable state for more than a decade. SNP MSP Bob Doris contacted Culture and Sport Glasgow and local tennis clubs to encourage them to work in partnership in the future with the charity ASAP, which uses volunteer coaches, to develop a strategy which will see the courts maintained and get more young people involved in the game. ASAP are also hoping that any publicity generated from the competition will help encourage volunteer coaches to come forward and wider participation by young people in tennis. Anyone wishing to get involved in ASAP’s sports activities whether as a volunteer coach or as a participant should contact ASAP on 07766 70 8363.
Speaking ahead of the G20 tennis competition, Stephen Koepplinger of ASAP said:’This is a perfect way to round off our Tennis Programme. It will be a fun day for all involved, as well as an excellent way to celebrate the five courts being brought back into a usable state. I hope the interest generated from our competition will be a springboard to get more youngsters involved not just in tennis but in wider community activities in general.’
Added Bob Doris: ‘It is crazy that as Scotland’s Andy Murray inspires our youngsters to swing a racket, five tennis courts in Maryhill would be sitting empty if it was not for this charity. Wimbledon is a world away from G20 but the youngsters of Maryhill deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. I am hopeful that both local tennis clubs and the City Council will work with us to promote the scheme and to support the roll-out of further tennis provision.’

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