Built on Inclusion: How Adel Tennis Club Turned Diversity into Their Greatest Asset

Originally reported on the LTA website and an LTA case study

Eight years ago, Adel Tennis Club in North Leeds found itself reviewing their current position. The club had dwindled to just 40 members, held a precarious £8,000 in financial reserves, and faced a genuine threat of permanent closure. Operating as a section of the historic Adel Memorial Sports Club - originally founded in 1928 on land gifted by the Tetley family as a living memorial to Great War servicemen - the tennis section was wrestling with limited resources and acute questions over its long-term future.

Rather than battening down the hatches, the club committee made a brave, counter-intuitive decision: they chose to throw their doors wide open.

Partnering closely with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Adel's leadership formulated a turnaround strategy built around two deceptively simple principles: build an openly welcoming, inclusive culture, and create meaningful opportunities for more people to experience tennis.

Today, Adel is not merely surviving; it is flourishing. The club boasts over £70,000 in financial reserves, has expanded court capacity, and stands as a national case study in how proactive diversity creates sustainable financial resilience.

Right People, No Egos: Redefining Committee Culture

The secret to Adel's turnaround did not begin with a lavish grant or a costly marketing push. It started by changing who sat around the committee table.

The leadership team made a deliberate commitment to put inclusion at the centre of every agenda item. They looked for committee members who were motivated not by personal status or rigid court hierarchies, but by a genuine desire to use tennis as a force for social good.

Getting the right people on the committee matters. No egos, just people passionate about tennis and its power to create positive social change. - Nat Wright, Chair of Adel Tennis Club

By modelling kindness, approachability, and generosity from the top down, the committee fostered a supportive atmosphere that filtered directly onto the courts.

Small, Intentional Steps with Massive Dividends

Crucially, Adel's committee recognised that making people feel welcome is not about grand pronouncements; it is about consistent, low-cost everyday actions.

One of their most effective moves was establishing regular, volunteer-led social sessions. A dedicated coordinator greets newcomers at the gate, introduces them to fellow members, and thoughtfully balances doubles pairings across different playing abilities.

In a sport where walking onto a strange court can feel intimidating, having an organiser ensure that beginners and veterans play enjoyable, competitive games made all the difference. Retention rates skyrocketed without spending a penny of club capital.

Closing the Gender Gap

Historically, Adel had suffered from a noticeable lack of female representation. To tackle this head-on, the club introduced a subsidised, reduced-cost introductory membership for women for an entire season.

Alongside this financial incentive, they appointed a coach with specialised expertise in female engagement and launched targeted programmes:

• Women and girls only coaching sessions
• Female-only friendly competitions and round-robins
• Dedicated social tennis slots proactively encouraging women of all ages

Opening Tennis to the Entire Community

Adel's commitment to inclusion extended far beyond traditional club boundaries. The committee made an active effort to welcome individuals who had never previously had access to a tennis racket.

They launched free coaching initiatives for local primary school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds receiving pupil premium support. Furthermore, they reached out to local refugee communities, offering free coaching sessions to individuals and families from Syria and Iran.

These initiatives broke down the lingering stigma of tennis as an exclusive, middle-class pursuit. In doing so, the club wove itself into the fabric of the wider North Leeds community, building deep social goodwill that paid dividends in unexpected ways.

When Community Belonging Fuels Financial Growth

The most striking lesson from Adel Tennis Club's revival is that diversity and inclusion are not philanthropic luxuries - they are the very engines of club growth and sustainability.

As member pride and community affection surged, members began stepping forward to invest their time and resources back into the club:

• A member, inspired by the club's welcoming ethos, volunteered their professional expertise to secure planning permission for floodlights and gain local business sponsorship.
• A community-driven Crowdfunder campaign raised the funds needed to renovate and floodlight a two-court enclosure.
• Court capacity is transforming from three to four full-size courts, plus three dedicated mini tennis courts, enabling year-round tennis for juniors and adults alike.
• Another member bestowed a £10,000 legacy gift in recognition of the joy the club had brought them, sparking plans for a peaceful legacy garden on the grounds.

As Dave Hardman, LTA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy Manager, noted when examining Adel's model:

Adel Tennis Club's journey demonstrates that creating a more inclusive venue does not always require major investment. Small, intentional actions can make a significant difference to how welcome people feel and whether they choose to stay involved. This in turn has helped secure the club's future growth and sustainability.

The Blueprint for Grassroots Venues

The positive ripple effects of Adel's tennis renaissance have also invigorated the wider Adel Memorial Sports Club, providing fresh energy to its cricket, hockey, football, squash, archery, bowls, and performing arts sections.

For grassroots tennis clubs across the country facing squeezed budgets and dwindling rosters, Adel's story provides a practical roadmap. As outlined in the LTA Venue Support Toolkit and Inclusion Hub, creating a sustainable club starts with a few clear questions:

1. How do we welcome new faces? Is there a designated friendly face greeting beginners and visitors?
2. Who is missing on our courts? Are we actively designing coaching and social opportunities for women, girls, and under-represented local communities?
3. What is our committee's purpose? Are our monthly meetings focused on defending club traditions, or on finding fresh ways to serve our neighbourhood?

Adel Tennis Club proved that you do not need millions in funding to save a venue. By opening their courts to everyone, they did not just rescue their club from closure - they built a warm, thriving community that will serve North Leeds for generations to come.