Dave and Ben have been brilliant for the kids. We don't want to see them go.
N
Nad Whitfield
5 years ago
Dave and Ben are excellent coaches and work tirelessly for this club. They really shouldn’t leave under these circumstances.
C
Carolyn Llewellyn
5 years ago
With their outstanding coaching credentials, experience, loyalty over time and professionalism it is hard to comprehend how Dave and Ben would not meet any criteria to be the Head Coaches of Oxford Sports Tennis Club. Many children over more than a decade have not only learnt to play social and competitive tennis but they have mastered skills in self control, tactical thinking and determination under their tennis tutorage. Such has been their reputation, Ben and Dave have attracted many players to the club and brought it business. As parents we have entrusted our children and quite frankly a lot of money with Ben and Dave through the club. Having held the interim Head Coach position for a short while, Ben and Dave clearly demonstrated their ability to lift the club and we are left incredulous at the committees treatment of them. Why OSLTC?
K
Kay Wilkinson
5 years ago
This has been an incomprehensible decision. Through their long-standing loyalty and hard work alone Dave and Ben have undoubtedly earned their chance at the club. However, if, inexplicably, this is not a sufficient recommendation for the committee then I would ask them, please, to take note of the opinion of those they have coached and their families. My son has experienced a range of coaches and clubs since starting to play over ten years ago. Without question, being coached by Dave at OSLTC has been the best experience of his tennis life. Finding this level of technical skill in combination with such empathy and integrity is rare. New is not the same as better. The committee may be excited by the idea of a new coaching arrangement but they do not speak for so very many of those who are affected by their decision. Surely they must see that a solution must be found which gives Dave and Ben the recognition they deserve and from which so many would benefit.
G
Guy Wilkinson
5 years ago
I have been a member of OSLTC for about 18 months, and have had experience with many clubs and coaches in many places in the years beforehand. Nowhere have I met someone who can come close to having the coaching ability and insight that they can provide - I live more than 40 minutes from the club, so the fact that it is worth traveling goes to show the value of time with them as coaches. However, the thing that strikes me the most is how respected and loved they are as people at the club. Every time I play there, I see numerous people come to talk to them, without any need to; they do it because they enjoy it. They are viewed as more than coaches. To many, they are friends. Their value to the club community cannot be underestimated; no matter what expertise any new coach can bring on paper, this is irreplaceable. Ben and Dave have given their careers to this club. This is not what they deserve
I
Irina Udalova
5 years ago
Can not agree more with the sentiments expressed by others! Both Ben and Dave are the soul of the club, especially for the kids. Ben has been teaching tennis to my kids for years now, never giving up, always friendly, always fun to be with. They love coming to 1:1 lessons with him, as well as to group sessions and camps with both Ben and Dave. Please do not let them go!
E
Emmanuelle Forsythe
5 years ago
My children love tennis thanks to Ben and Dave coaching. They are invaluable assets to the club.
L
Lisa Powell
5 years ago
Both my children have been taught by Ben and Dave for the last 10 years. Those two men are an inspiration and the only reason we have kept our membership through the years. Without them the club is nothing. My children are not competitive - but will now play tennis for ever having been given the technique and confidence they need - by these two outstanding coaches.
N
Nathan Patel
5 years ago
For 10 years I have been a member of the club, primarily being taught by Dave year in and year out. In this time, I have truly seen how fundamental Dave and Ben are to OSLTC. Whether coaching me in freezing weather or managing swarms of children in a summer camp, these two coaches are the sole reason the tennis club functions. Dave and Ben have dedicated decades of their lives to this tennis club, bringing countless new members into it and maintaining its presence in Oxfordshire. It is frankly incomprehensible why an external coach would be a better fit as Head Coach than Ben and Dave would be. This appointment must be rescinded.
A
Anoushka
5 years ago
Ben and Dave have both been influential, inspiring and meaningful figures throughout my teenage years. Ben coached me at Oxford High School, and was consistently a positive role model for aspiring athletes and recreational players at the school. At the club and beyond, his work to encourage girls in competitive sport was impactful and meaningful. I was shocked and appalled to hear that they were not granted the position of Head Coach, and strongly urge you to reconsider your decision before the reputation of this club is tarnished.
C
Catherine Cairns
5 years ago
Please give Dave and Ben this role at the club! They are great coaches and I wouldn’t like to be taught by anybody else please support them!
A
Anna Cairns
5 years ago
I love being coached by Dave and Ben so please give them this role of being head coaches at this great tennis club.
J
Jake
5 years ago
There the best coaches in the area so you would have to be stupid to not keep them
S
Sébastien Forsythe
5 years ago
The club will crumble without them they are the pillar of this club. The y are the best tennis coaches in the county and are very nice people. They have been fully loyal to the club for a long time and it would be an outrageous disgrace to the club and the people if they were let go. DO NOT IN ANY CASE LET THEM DEPART ON SUCH TERMS AS THESE!!!!!!!!
R
Raphaël forsythe
5 years ago
These two coaches single handedly made me the tennis player I am today and them leaving just might make me leave because they are by far the best coaches in my opinion.
K
Kal Patel
5 years ago
Dave and Ben are brilliant coaches. We feel there has been an unfair and unjust process that has resulting in an unethical decision. Please rescind.
A
Amanda Gaydon
5 years ago
Featured
Ben and Dave have not only been hugely welcoming but incredibly supportive and loyal throughout my years at the club. Surely they deserve the opportunity to build and develop the club they clearly love. So disappointed at the committee’s decision
J
Jens Fisher
5 years ago
Ben and Dave really helped me through the past year and it was a stupid design to get ride of them
E
Emma Dashwood
5 years ago
Years of loyalty and conscientious hard work are qualities to be rewarded. These honest qualities are not something you find easily in a tennis coach. The humble caring approach with the kids is a rare find. It would be a travesty if they left Hinksey Tennis Club.
H
Hattie Gates
5 years ago
I’m a level 1 tennis coach at Oxford Sports Tennis Club- my club that I’ve been apart of since I was 7 years old. Ben and Dave have been a massive part of my life and have played such good role models for the rest community at Oxford Sports. Ben and Dave are such amazing people- so full of life and of course incredible tennis players and coaches (Ben even trialed for Wimbledon). All I can say is it has truly broken my heart and others around me to hear the sad news that someone has taken over the club and that not being Dave or Ben. I seriously think there should be some reconsideration. I feel like this decision has been made very quickly and without really understanding that there is a large family at Oxford Sports. Everyone is truly gutted.
Dave and Ben have been brilliant for the kids. We don't want to see them go.
Dave and Ben are excellent coaches and work tirelessly for this club. They really shouldn’t leave under these circumstances.
With their outstanding coaching credentials, experience, loyalty over time and professionalism it is hard to comprehend how Dave and Ben would not meet any criteria to be the Head Coaches of Oxford Sports Tennis Club. Many children over more than a decade have not only learnt to play social and competitive tennis but they have mastered skills in self control, tactical thinking and determination under their tennis tutorage. Such has been their reputation, Ben and Dave have attracted many players to the club and brought it business. As parents we have entrusted our children and quite frankly a lot of money with Ben and Dave through the club. Having held the interim Head Coach position for a short while, Ben and Dave clearly demonstrated their ability to lift the club and we are left incredulous at the committees treatment of them. Why OSLTC?
This has been an incomprehensible decision. Through their long-standing loyalty and hard work alone Dave and Ben have undoubtedly earned their chance at the club. However, if, inexplicably, this is not a sufficient recommendation for the committee then I would ask them, please, to take note of the opinion of those they have coached and their families. My son has experienced a range of coaches and clubs since starting to play over ten years ago. Without question, being coached by Dave at OSLTC has been the best experience of his tennis life. Finding this level of technical skill in combination with such empathy and integrity is rare. New is not the same as better. The committee may be excited by the idea of a new coaching arrangement but they do not speak for so very many of those who are affected by their decision. Surely they must see that a solution must be found which gives Dave and Ben the recognition they deserve and from which so many would benefit.
I have been a member of OSLTC for about 18 months, and have had experience with many clubs and coaches in many places in the years beforehand. Nowhere have I met someone who can come close to having the coaching ability and insight that they can provide - I live more than 40 minutes from the club, so the fact that it is worth traveling goes to show the value of time with them as coaches. However, the thing that strikes me the most is how respected and loved they are as people at the club. Every time I play there, I see numerous people come to talk to them, without any need to; they do it because they enjoy it. They are viewed as more than coaches. To many, they are friends. Their value to the club community cannot be underestimated; no matter what expertise any new coach can bring on paper, this is irreplaceable. Ben and Dave have given their careers to this club. This is not what they deserve
Can not agree more with the sentiments expressed by others! Both Ben and Dave are the soul of the club, especially for the kids. Ben has been teaching tennis to my kids for years now, never giving up, always friendly, always fun to be with. They love coming to 1:1 lessons with him, as well as to group sessions and camps with both Ben and Dave. Please do not let them go!
My children love tennis thanks to Ben and Dave coaching. They are invaluable assets to the club.
Both my children have been taught by Ben and Dave for the last 10 years. Those two men are an inspiration and the only reason we have kept our membership through the years. Without them the club is nothing. My children are not competitive - but will now play tennis for ever having been given the technique and confidence they need - by these two outstanding coaches.
For 10 years I have been a member of the club, primarily being taught by Dave year in and year out. In this time, I have truly seen how fundamental Dave and Ben are to OSLTC. Whether coaching me in freezing weather or managing swarms of children in a summer camp, these two coaches are the sole reason the tennis club functions. Dave and Ben have dedicated decades of their lives to this tennis club, bringing countless new members into it and maintaining its presence in Oxfordshire. It is frankly incomprehensible why an external coach would be a better fit as Head Coach than Ben and Dave would be. This appointment must be rescinded.
Ben and Dave have both been influential, inspiring and meaningful figures throughout my teenage years. Ben coached me at Oxford High School, and was consistently a positive role model for aspiring athletes and recreational players at the school. At the club and beyond, his work to encourage girls in competitive sport was impactful and meaningful. I was shocked and appalled to hear that they were not granted the position of Head Coach, and strongly urge you to reconsider your decision before the reputation of this club is tarnished.
Please give Dave and Ben this role at the club! They are great coaches and I wouldn’t like to be taught by anybody else please support them!
I love being coached by Dave and Ben so please give them this role of being head coaches at this great tennis club.
There the best coaches in the area so you would have to be stupid to not keep them
The club will crumble without them they are the pillar of this club. The y are the best tennis coaches in the county and are very nice people. They have been fully loyal to the club for a long time and it would be an outrageous disgrace to the club and the people if they were let go. DO NOT IN ANY CASE LET THEM DEPART ON SUCH TERMS AS THESE!!!!!!!!
These two coaches single handedly made me the tennis player I am today and them leaving just might make me leave because they are by far the best coaches in my opinion.
Dave and Ben are brilliant coaches. We feel there has been an unfair and unjust process that has resulting in an unethical decision. Please rescind.
Ben and Dave have not only been hugely welcoming but incredibly supportive and loyal throughout my years at the club. Surely they deserve the opportunity to build and develop the club they clearly love. So disappointed at the committee’s decision
Ben and Dave really helped me through the past year and it was a stupid design to get ride of them
Years of loyalty and conscientious hard work are qualities to be rewarded. These honest qualities are not something you find easily in a tennis coach. The humble caring approach with the kids is a rare find. It would be a travesty if they left Hinksey Tennis Club.
I’m a level 1 tennis coach at Oxford Sports Tennis Club- my club that I’ve been apart of since I was 7 years old. Ben and Dave have been a massive part of my life and have played such good role models for the rest community at Oxford Sports. Ben and Dave are such amazing people- so full of life and of course incredible tennis players and coaches (Ben even trialed for Wimbledon). All I can say is it has truly broken my heart and others around me to hear the sad news that someone has taken over the club and that not being Dave or Ben. I seriously think there should be some reconsideration. I feel like this decision has been made very quickly and without really understanding that there is a large family at Oxford Sports. Everyone is truly gutted.