James Aburrow
James Aburrow is a LTA Licensed Performance Tennis Coach and South and South West LTA Regional Development Coach of the Year 2023
Currently Head Coach at Minchinhampton Tennis Club.
I have over 20 years coaching experience throughout the south west including Head of Adult Racquets at the regions biggest indoor tennis club.
My biggest coaching achievement was in 2023 when I was awarded South and South West LTA Regional Development Coach of the Year 2023. The award announcement was as follows: “James started at Minchinhampton Tennis Club in Gloucestershire as Head Coach in 2012. Since he started, membership numbers have doubled, with most growth in the family and junior membership categories. The growth in membership has enabled the club to significantly improve the quality of their facilities, and attributes the growth to James’ dedication to their hugely busy and successful programme; as well as being a friendly face for newcomers at the venue and a recognisable figure for club members.
As well as running programmes for all ages and stages, including LTA Youth, Tennis Xpress, Cardio Tennis, and more; James liases with local schools to promote the benefits of exercise and encourage tennis participation. All pupils receive a free trial session at the club, before then signing up to termly junior coaching. Additionally, in an effort to promote tennis to a wider audience, James held ‘free teenage tennis’ afternoons, encouraging junior players to bring their friends along for free to experience tennis for the first time.
From the coaching programme, James encourages players to participate in competition; with NINE teams recently entered into the Gloucestershire National Summer League, the teams came away with two titles to add to a number of others achieved with James as Head Coach. The club are also delighted to have eight junior players in the county teams and hope to produce more in time.
As well as encouraging players into competition, James encourages players into coaching. James has accommodated junior players to volunteer at the club as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award, and some have taken the next step by completing their LTA Assistant qualification. These Assistants now help out the coaching team on holiday camps and sessions throughout the year, and all Assistants at the club are former or current junior members.
And finally, a huge player achievement; James is proud to have coached member Dena from beginner tennis all the way through to winning gold at the 2022 British Transplant Games.
James – the countless hours you’ve invested into your club and its members means that more people get to reap the benefits of playing tennis and being immersed in a tennis community. Thank you for all that you do!👏
Since becoming Head Coach at Minchinhampton, the club has won numerous County Junior Team Titles over various age groups, both boys and girls. This has firmly established the club as the premium provider for juniors in the south of Gloucestershire. The coaching programme caters for all players ranging from beginners to county players.
I have a varied working week mainly coaching beginners and improvers of all ages.
I have taken my expertise into many primary schools giving lots of children their first experience of the game and inspiring many to take up tennis. The clubs adult teams are playing at the highest possible level locally. I was invited and joined the Gloucestershire Coaches Committee in 2020 ensuring that I help to shape the future of coaching in the county.
I captain Gloucestershire at Over 45 level and play for the Over 35’s as well. I have won many junior county closed titles as well as the regional championships on two occasions. I still compete in both veteran and open competitions around the UK (photo is of me in action at Wimbledon in the British Veterans Grass Court Championships) as well as captaining the club’s Men’s A Team.