New Director of Tennis – Steve Shea

We are really pleased to announce that Steve Shea has agreed to join the club as our new Director of Tennis.

Steve is a Level 5 LTA performance coach and has previously worked at Letchworth and Cassiobury Tennis Clubs. Steve has over 20 years of coaching experience and really enjoys coaching players of all abilities.  He is both experienced in coaching in the UK and abroad with home grown and international junior players in particular.  Steve has a wealth of experience in designing and implementing coaching programmes and managing coaching teams and will be looking after not only the HPT programme with Toby and also the HT and adult coaching programme.

Steve together with Toby and the rest of the coaching sub-committee will be working now towards the appointment of another performance coach and someone to fill the shoes of Dinal Shah who is also leaving soon.

We know many of you met with Steve on finals day, but he’ll be out an about in the club over the coming weeks and we wish Steve the best of luck in his new role.

Also, some of you may wish to see Chris’ last email that he sent before he left for NZ!

Dear Members

So this is it, my final communication with you in my current role.

To reiterate my earlier sentiments, it’s been an absolute honour and a privilege to have worked at Highgate and it really is with a heavy heart that I leave. I take with me fond memories of a club that separates itself from the rest by treating each and every member as an equal and with its relentless passion and energy for tennis.

I also take friendships that will continue from across the other side of the world and when I come back and visit. So a big thank you to each and everyone of you for making my time with you so enjoyable and giving me the opportunity to grow and learn as a coach. On the plus side, I’m happy that the club have appointed a new Director of Tennis in Steve Shea.

Steve is a coach with lots of experience across the whole tennis continuum, from working with nationally ranked juniors to working with adult beginners and is just the sort of person to continue to take the club forward with its vision.

I know the club is in really good hands both with a forward thinking committee and a great coaching team now lead by Steve so there’s every reason to be positive and to continue with the coaching.

Remember, everyone has the capacity to be the ‘best YOU can be’. Chris PS. Don’t hesitate to look me up if you’re ever on the other side of the world. There’s always a room for a Highgate member at ours.