The idea for a local park tennis league began as a way of improving our own game. We set up the first, fledging league on Highbury Fields, north London in May 2005. It took off. Since then, hundreds of people have taken part, made friends and improved their game. We tried it in elsewhere and now have several leagues both in London and elsewhere.

The Bishops Park Tennis League is run by

Sally Kinnes & Nigel Billen

2 Highbury Place, London N5 1QZ

bishopsparktennisleague@googlemail.com 

We have found that although there are plenty of leagues and ladders in clubs if you seek them out, there is not always a regular league for players who play on one set of local public courts. Having one, we have discovered, helps build a sense of community, puts local players in touch with each other, and gives people a way of seeing themselves improve.

Our aim is to launch more leagues wherever there is a need, concentrating on public courts where finding opponents can be difficult.