University of Sheffield Tennis Club crowned the best in Yorkshire

The University of Sheffield Tennis Club, which has more than 300 active members, beat seven other universities in the region to win the Yorkshire University of the Year award at the LTA Tennis Awards 2022.

The awards highlight the achievements and contributions of people and their tennis clubs across Britain who dedicate time and energy to making tennis accessible for all.

Ryan Betts and Nikolay Irmanov, 2020/21 club captains, said: “We’re really proud the tennis club has won this award because it recognises the hard work of lots of students behind the scenes which often goes unnoticed.

“Last year was difficult with the pandemic but we still managed to drive the club forward and make big improvements for members.

"It was a pleasure to lead the club and we’d like to thank everyone that was a part of it.”

Sheffield University Tennis Club has now been shortlisted for LTA’s regional award for the North.

The winner will be decided in April before being considered for the national award.

In recent years, the club has tried to become as inclusive as possible so anyone who wants to play tennis at Sheffield University, no matter their ability level, can feel comfortable coming along to a session.

It also participates in numerous charity events throughout the year, including an annual ‘rallyathon’, where members hold a continuous rally for 12 hours to raise money for charity.

This year, their chosen charity is FoodCycle Sheffield, who combat food waste, food poverty and loneliness within the local community.