OUR
COACHES

Matt played at County Junior level, and then received his first cap for Yorkshire Senior team in1991. Later that year Matt travelled to the U.S.A, attending Brunswick Junior College (ranked number 2 college in the Nation) on a tennis Scholarship. In 1994 Matt returned to the UK where he played professionally on the British Tour and futures circuit. Matt also played German League tennis and spent several months in Australia coaching and playing on the futures circuit. Matt regularly attends Coach Education seminars and workshops to improve his coaching knowledge and has been mentored by some of the world’s most respected coaches.

Matt has coached some of the best juniors in Yorkshire and has produced a number of junior players who have played internationally and represented Great Britain at different age groups. Matt is also the 2005 and 2006 Yorkshire Men’s doubles champion and still enjoys playing when he can. Matt believes in developing a strong work ethic with his players and helping all players maximise their potential both on and off the court.

Steve has been playing tennis since the age of 6 and represented Herefordshire & Worcestershire at junior county level up until the age of 15. He played senior men’s tennis for his club from age 13 and went on to captain the Men’s 1st team. Steve has been a part time coach since the age of 15, but went full time in September 2019 when he joined the Strive Tennis coaching team.

Steve coaches a wide range of ages and abilities, and focuses on developing players by encouraging enjoyment in the game and the long term benefits of learning and playing tennis. Steve’s involvement in tennis is not just focused on coaching, as he has been a member of the Association of British Tennis Officials since 2001 and has officiated at many local and national tournaments as a line and chair umpire. Steve can be seen working as a Line Umpire at Wimbledon every year. In 2021, Steve also became a licensed referee and runs tournaments at Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre throughout the year.

Chris is an experienced tennis player and in his younger days has represented Warwickshire, Suffolk and Yorkshire at county level. His coaching and related experience is: county coach in Suffolk, LTA North East regional coach,·a former coach education tutor for the Lawn Tennis Association, accompanying GB representative teams to international tournaments/training camps in Europe with the Lawn Tennis Association.

Leo started playing tennis when he was 10 years old when he joined Harlow tennis club. He has since played in many tournaments around the country and enjoys competing at a high level. Leo is currently studying Science of sport performance at Leeds Beckett University and enjoys competing in the university team tennis leagues. lEO has been coaching since 2021 and has worked his way up to achieving level 2. He likes sharing his skills, finds it rewarding seeing students improve and he especially likes teaching advanced technique. Leo also coaches players of all different abilities.

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Jamie has been playing tennis since he was a young teenager and developed a passion for the sport when he became a member of Harrogate Spa Tennis Club. He enjoys playing at the club and regularly competes in the Men’s and Mixed teams competitions in the Harrogate and District Area. Jamie is an active member of the tennis club and coaching team and he is always willing to be involved to promote tennis, the club and coaching. Jamie studied Sports Coaching at Leeds Beckett University where he specialised in tennis and now continues to be part of the Strive Tennis coaching team. Jamie enjoys using his wide range of experience whilst working with all age groups, from beginners to advanced players so that they can reach their full potential whilst having fun at the same time. 

Emma started playing tennis at the age of 6 at Starbeck tennis club. She began to take her tennis further at 15 when she started to represent the Starbeck adult mixed and ladies' teams within the Harrogate and district leagues. Emma gained her LTA level 1 and 2 coaching qualifications and enjoys attending weekly training sessions to develop both her own gameplay and coaching knowledge. Ranging from red to bronze level players, Emma enjoys coaching juniors of all abilities across the Strive tennis clubs in and around Harrogate.