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Who is Pierre Lubbe?
I am a Christian who has a passion for tennis. I am encouraged by my supportive wife, Michelle and I am the owner of Good News Tennis Ministries. (GNTM)
I have been involved in administration at school, club and provincial level for more than 20 years and recently received honoree membership at Elardus Park tennis club. This was bestowed on me in recognition of my contribution to tennis administration. I am also a qualified Play and Stay coach.
Besides my tennis club I have been administratively involved with the Gauteng North Junior Club League, Hoërskool Garsfontein Parent Tennis Committee and the Baseline League.
What is Good News Tennis Ministries?
Inspired by my mentor, Andre Cillie, I formed GNTM in 2014 which is run on Christian principles.
Mission
Promote tennis as an attractive sport choice for school children.
Vision
To develop GNTM into a local best practice coloured ball tennis system.
Strategy
Collaborate with tournament partners to create a unique & sustainable school entry level coloured ball tennis tournament system that provides for first time and more developed players by;
- Becoming part of TSA and GNTA
- Increasing GNTM capabilities and resources.
- Effective marketing to attract entry level school players & sponsors.
What progress has been made?
Our strategy was presented to, and well received, by the Gauteng Tennis Association. This enabled us to approach Tennis South Africa (TSA) who subsequently set us a target to run at least seven successful red ball tournaments before TSA would take GNTM seriously.
We have started liaising with local tennis coaches to promote the coaching opportunity our entry level tournaments provide to them and the additional playing experience they provide for their existing students.
To date we have run 4 Red Ball tournaments at the Lynwood Glen tennis club. Judging from feedback, and the repeat entries we are receiving, the events have been very successful and enjoyable. Our ability to provide coordination coaching for children not yet capable of keeping a ball in play has been a major contributor to our success.
We have employed an administration assistant and are busy developing an interactive data base website that will automate all of our administration. Both will facilitate our growth into a larger organisation. The administration assistant has also been trained to perform coordination coaching on tournament days.
Our major challenge is the marketing of GNTM. We are currently doing one on one presentations to as many influencers as is possible e.g. school principals, coaches etc. Our next step is to create an on-line presence via Facebook.
Our long term goal is to provide a fully automated and integrated tennis tournament system that can be franchised.