About us

We are a community-led tennis club run by volunteers who manage the two tennis courts in Greville Smyth park on behalf of Bristol City Council. Our committee is elected by members of the club at the annual AGM, which takes place in February-March ahead of the start of the membership period on 1st April.

A bit of history

In 2008, local tennis enthusiasts came together to formally establish Greville Smyth Tennis Club. At the inaugural meeting, a chairman and committee were elected, laying the foundations for what would become a thriving community club. A constitution was drafted, membership arrangements were put in place, and the club's first membership cards were printed and hand-delivered. Although the organisation was modest in its early days, the essential structures were quickly established, including the appointment of a treasurer and membership secretary.

From the outset, Bristol City Council was a supportive partner and formally endorsed the creation of the club. Recognising that it lacked the resources to maintain the public courts itself, the council worked closely with the new committee and proposed the creation of a sinking fund. This enabled membership fees to be set aside each year to fund the resurfacing of the courts over the longer term, helping to secure the facility's future.

The response from the local community was immediate and overwhelming. Membership grew from just a small group of founding players to around 150 members within the first year, clearly demonstrating the demand for accessible, community-led tennis in the Bedminster area.

Throughout the club's formative years, the committee met regularly with Bristol City Council's sports development team to review progress and help guide the club's development. This close partnership was instrumental in establishing Greville Smyth Tennis Club as a sustainable, volunteer-led organisation at the heart of the local community.

Projects

The club has had a team of volunteers working towards bringing floodlights to the courts for many years. They have liaised with Bristol City Council, explored possible ways to fund the project, including using LTA grants, reviewed possible suppliers, performed initial planning steps such as commissioning an impact assessment of the project on the local wildlife. This is a long-running effort and it may still take quite some time before we enjoy tennis in the late evenings…