Jonny is Scotland’s No.1 young coach
A Rutherglen tennis coach has been named the best young coach in Scotland for his work with his club, community and schools.
Jonny Wilcox, who was rewarded with the title of best UK coach at Wimbledon in July, has added to his accolades with the sportscotland prize.
The 25-year-old head coach at Rutherglen Lawn Tennis Club is expected to claim his Young Coach of the Year award tonight at a special ceremony in the Stirling Court Hotel.
Coaches, officials and volunteers involved in several sports will all be recognised for their work.
Jonny was delighted to win the award and said:“It is a great honour. To be named the young coach of the year is fantastic because it is not just for tennis, there is so many other sports and people who do amazing work.
“We have tried to grow the coaching programme at Rutherglen for all ages and standards and raise the awareness of tennis in the area.
“We’ve done a lot of work with the schools and within the community and have seen a
big boost in our membership.
“It’s not just me though because we have a great coaching team and committee.
“We have some great tennis players here too and they have a great competitive environment to play in. They all spur themselves and others on.”
He continued:“We officially opened our new courts in Burnside on Saturday, which gave us a big boost. Judy Murray was there and there was a real buzz about the place.”
Jonny oversees the work of a team of three other coaches who collectively deliver weekly tennis lessons to more than 110 children. Of those, three juniors are involved in the West of Scotland county programme and two in the national programme.
He was also recognised for his hard work and enthusiasm which has seen club membership soar to an all-time high of 290 members.
Thanks to Jonny’s work with the Reidvale Adventure Play Association and Possibilities for Each and Every Kid (PEEK), young people from some of the most deprived areas of Glasgow and Lanarkshire have been given the opportunity to play tennis, where they were once denied.