OUR STORY
OUR STORY
Mark Penketh and Pete Mills founded the Crouch End Tennis Academy (CETA) in 2013 with the ambition to offer something special. Although there are a variety of tennis clubs around the local area, CETA is unique in providing tennis coaching solely for children.
CETA offers an environment where ‘kids-can-be-kids’, learning to play and enjoy tennis free from the restraints usually associated with private member’s clubs
We are based within the beautiful, secluded grounds of The Hornsey Cricket Club in Crouch End, N8. The adult’s tennis section at the club closed in 2012, which provided the perfect opportunity and location for CETA to open to the community and grow our children’s academy.
Since 2013 we have run holiday camps over Easter, summer breaks, the occasional Christmas camp as well as all the half terms!
As the numbers grew we started running multi-sport camps for the younger ones in the afternoons that are fantastically popular
See our GALLERY for photos
In addition to this, we bring local primary schools to the courts and run sessions for up to 60 children at a time throughout the summer term. Here we are able to combine tennis coaching and cricket simultaneously – something no other club can offer!
The lock-downs of 2020 & 2021 have shown just how valuable outdoor sport is for children. Tennis was the first sport to be opened-up and, understandably, all fee-paying clubs kept many courts exclusively for their members.
By offering a more inclusive club, CETA was able to run accessible, invaluable sessions just for kids, and the demand was huge!
The open space meant we could cater for many children within all the guidelines set by the government and LTA so children could see each other again and play sport. The importance of this cannot be overemphasised, as this parent wrote…
“Hi Mark and Pete and the gang, thank you for being such a huge part of Oscar’s Lock-down life over the past 18 months and being an all-important part of the puzzle that has kept it all together. I am so happy that you guys have managed to keep going which must have been quite stressful at times but you always show up with smiling faces and a positive attitude which we can hear from our house next to the courts and it makes us very happy.
Much love and long may you guys keep providing such fabulous tennis for all the kids.”
At CETA we know that playing sport as a child not only builds character and confidence but also gives a sense of achievement. It can bring children out of their shell and help prepare them for life, whether working as a team or as an individual within one.
Sport also teaches discipline & respect through competition and helps develop an understanding that the more effort you put in at the start, the greater the enjoyment and reward along the way!
OUR AIM | For children to enjoy tennis in a fun, safe and challenging environment, make new friends and reach their full potential as players and young people
OUR ETHOS | To inspire, enthuse and encourage children into wanting to become better players and take a fabulous life skill with them into adulthood
OUR PHILOSOPHY | Tennis is a fun and exciting sport and should be accessible within the community for all those that want to play. CETA keeps it that way
