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TENNISLIFE COACHING 
Finalist for 3M Excellence in Innovation Award
2008 Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Awards
 

Tennislife Coaching Ltd , owned and operated  by Kevin Woolcott and Sue Nixon on Auckland's North Shore, has been selected by an independent judging panel as a finalist in the 3M Excellence in Innovation Award for the 2008 Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards.

This is great news for tennis in NZ as it shows that tennis coaching can be recognised as a rated profession, and that coaching businesses can receive this kind of industry recognition. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner 28 August.

Tennislife Coaching Ltd came from an idea over eight years ago. The plan was to create a place where anyone interested in the sport of tennis could come to Tennislife, be it the website or the facility for information, advice, coaching or equipment.

Based at Forrest Hill, Tennislife offers tennis coaching for all ages and abilities including people with disabilities, a retail outlet to purchase tennis equipment, and a place to play whether it is causal or competitive. Through the Tennislife website coaching tips, news (international and local), online shopping are all on offer. Tennislife is also involved in the improvement of tennis coach education and teaching ‘life’ skills to children through playing tennis.

In 1998 Kevin Woolcott developed a website as a hobby and named it “Tennislife” after the byline in tennis “tennis is a game for life”. 

October 2000 Woolcott formed a partnership with Sue Nixon principally to operate a small retail outlet while he continued with his coaching.  The website was used as a vehicle to promote “The Tennis Shop” and coaching programmes as they were introduced to the business.

August 2003 Tennislife registered as a company under the name of Tennislife Coaching Ltd. Tennislife Coaching took over all the coaching side of the business while The Tennis Shop remained a separate entity.

In November 2005 the ‘Tennis Shop’ merged into Tennislife Coaching. At the same time the website was redesigned with online shopping, secure payments and video coaching analysis was introduced. 

Tennislife, through its website http://www.tennislife.co.nz/, offers the tennis playing public a unique service. Using world-class software developed by an innovative New Zealand Company, siliconCOACH, Tennislife offers a video analysis and correction tennis coaching lesson.  The software is also used by The LTA England, Australian Cricket, athletes at Athens 2004 Olympics, NZ Cricket, Australian Institute of Sport, Sports Academies and Universities in New Zealand, to name a few.

The advantage of this system is tennis players no matter what skill level are able to have a basic technical tennis lesson anywhere in NZ or even from overseas without moving far from home. By storing the information on a CD or DVD, a library can be built for future reference. Unlike a normal on-court lesson clients have something physical to refer back to when they are having difficulties on court.

This is also an excellent system for physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors to use if patients are in rehabilitation with tennis related injuries.    

“We have a business borne from a passion in a sport. Yes it has been hard work but that is out-weighed by the fun we have had and the pride we feel when we look back at what we have achieved. 

“It’s only through entering the Westpac Enterprise Awards that we realised we are the innovators in the NZ tennis industry - we had a plan eight years ago and eight years later – we have realized the plan”.

Kevin Woolcott, Joint manager and shareholder.
Ph/fax 09 410 8804 or 021 782854