Matt Edwards is eager to continue growing tennis involvement in Dubbo and the wider region after extending his stay in the Central West.
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In something of a coup for the game locally, the highly regarded Edwards has signed on for another five years at Paramount Tennis Club.
The experienced coach arrived in Dubbo with his family in 2015 after working for more than two decades in Europe.
Since then he's gone on to form the Play Tennis Dubbo coaching business, which his son Fin is now also heavily involved in, running out of Paramount while he is also the Tennis NSW Senior Club Development Officer for the Central West.
"I really didn't know what to expect but it's been really good and the committee and tennis community have been really good and we've been lucky enough to make a business out of it," Edwards said.
"Hopefully there's bigger and better things to come.
"We're seeing tennis be really popular at the club and we're getting to see a lot of young kids come through the ranks and become decent players and hopefully lifelong tennis players."
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Something that could help players from Dubbo develop further is more tournaments locally and regionally.
Edwards admitted players from the western side of the mountains often get forgotten but he was hopeful of good news in the future as Tennis NSW works on its new events calendar.
Country tournaments, like most others, were largely abandoned this year because of COVID-19 but they are one of the big areas of focus for Edwards now he's locked in to stay at Dubbo.
"The first thing I'm really keen to do is work with others clubs and towns," he said.
"Parkes, Mudgee, Orange, and even places like Gunnedah ... try to get regular competition for kids and adults.
"We're the only major club in town so it's hard to play others."
There's previously been events involving Paramount, Bathurst and Mudgee and the plan is to "rejuvenate" those sort of tournaments while also possibly including other clubs from around the western area.
While the social scene at the Paramount club has always been strong and Edwards is eager to see that continue and grow further, he's also always keen to see players from around the region take that next step.
"I've been lucky enough to have 25 years in Europe and work with some of the best kids in the world at under 16s and 14s so it's always on the radar," Edwards said.
"But those kids are few and far between and it's a huge commitment but I'm always up for it."
Of course, in a region like this there's always plenty of challenges for athletes wishing to reach the top level. Things are no different in tennis.
"I think it's probably not as strong as when I was growing up in the country," Edwards said of the standard of the sport.
"There's a lot of other sports and distractions but the hardest thing is to find good quality matches against other kids and there's the time commitment to get the standard of state, national, or international level.
"We've got some great kids coming through and competing at regional levels and if they want to go on to state we'll do all we can to help them."
Those interested in receiving coaching can contact Play Tennis Dubbo on 0428 303 438 or info@playtennisdubbo.com.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
