Dundalk Tennis, Badminton & Squash Club are this week celebrating the announcement that the town centre club will host the Junior International Tennis Federation (ITF) Championships attracting hundreds of visitors to the town this summer.
This will be the third time that Dundalk Tennis Club plays host to the Junior ITF championships, a world ranking competition which is included in the top junior international players circuit as they travel the globe.
The Championships take place from Monday July 31st through to Friday, August 4th. Players and their entourages arrive into Dundalk a number of days before hand resulting in hundreds of bed nights being taken up over a 10-14 day period.
Club President, Jill Steeples said that she is very proud that the Club along with the invaluable support of John McGahon of MacX Academy, had successfully secured the Championship’s return to Dundalk.
“Of course we are honoured to be welcoming the top international junior players to Dundalk. It also gives our junior club members the opportunity to see on their home courts the organisation that goes into a full scale Junior Championships as well as the importance of the whole Club membership getting involved in one way or another.”
“Our Badminton and Squash members are more than happy to support the event and put up with the hundreds of people using the premises over the two weeks. A good number of adult members play a wide variety of roles and our junior members take part as Ball Boys and Ball Girls. It’s a fantastic experience.”
“This year we will have the added pleasure of seeing two of our members and MacX Academy players Oisin Murtagh and Maria Perla Biansumba competing in the Championships itself.”
She also acknowledged the Championship’s potential for the local economy. “Our visitors spend hundreds of bed nights in Dundalk. They’re not on the courts all the time so they shop and have something to eat locally; they use taxis, minibuses etc to ferry them and their equipment to and from hotels. Thanks to Dundalk Tourist Office we had maps and information to hand so they really get as much out of their visit to Dundalk as possible”.
