Moorgate Tennis Club chairman hopes for borough-wide boost

Mark Busby was recently appointed chairman of Moorgate Tennis Club, which celebrated its 125th anniversary this year.

Moorgate runs men's, ladies, mixed and junior teams from at its base on Moorgate Avenue which has four floodlit courts.

Regular player Mark is keen to get more people picking up a racket at the club and across the borough in tandem with Rotherham Council and the Lawn Tennis Association.

“We try and look at different ways of getting the word out there because I don't think many people in Rotherham know we exist,” said Mark.

“John McGleave (team secretary) is involved in regular tennis community meetings with the council which involve the local LTA representative.

“It is good to build relationships with the council because obviously they have courts at Clifton Park and they run initiatives which hopefully can bring people into Moorgate and vice versa.

“Also, there are a number of courts around Rotherham which need updating. There also used to be some at Valley Park.

“Clifton Park's are fairly new and there was talk of getting floodlights on there.

“It's about getting other courts around the borough up to standard so people can go and enjoy them. The future is also about getting more kids involved in tennis so that they come through and enjoy the game as much as I have.”

Welshman Mark was introduced to tennis by his mum and it is a passion he has passed on to his daughters.

After he took them down to Moorgate, he joined in and became a full member, playing for many of its teams.

Mark has been on Moorgate's committee for some time and has taken up the chairman's role in place of Rob Wood, who has stepped down after four years.

Mark added: “Rob leaves some quite big boots to fill because he was chairman for a while and secretary for a lot longer.

“It's a tough role but I'm up for the challenge.”