Club History – Fleet Aces Pickleball Club

History & Foundation Of The Club

In 2017 Tracy and Andy Coult started playing pickleball at David Lloyd. It was thanks to the great crowd there (Farnham Picklers), that they became passionate about the sport.

After a year, they decided it would be easier to play more locally in Fleet, and setting up a club would also mean they could introduce the sport to others. In May 2018, Tracy completed her IPTPA coaching in order to be able to coach members in a new club.

By July 2018, together with Andre Strachan who had also trained as a coach, they decided to launch a new all inclusive club and, over a pint in the Foresters pub, Fleet Aces was born. (Actually Fleet Foxes was born but was later changed to Fleet Aces).

IPTPA arrives in South England

2018 – Tracy Coult, Gill Bushell and Andre Strachan from David Lloyd were amongst 15 people to attend the first IPTPA coaching course in the UK.

It was extremely successful. In the following years many of the attendees who many of you may now know became founders of various initiatives including:

•London Pickleball – Lou Stephens

•The Bourne – Gill and Jo Bushell

•Aldershot and SEPL – Andre Strachan

•Pickleball England – Karen and Chris Mitchell

•Fleet Aces – Tracy and Andy Coult and Andre Strachan

Recognise any founder players?

Tracy and Andy invited local friends and fellow David Lloyd players to two launch events. How many players do you recognise? (Andy was official photographer but he was always there!)

First event : Court Moor school – 27th of June 2018 (it was 28 degrees so an impressive turn out)

How many players do you recognise at the second launch event?

Second event : Farnborough Leisure Centre – September 2018

FAPC Sponsorship

•With over 40 interested players from two sessions the club was launched in 2018.

•Branded t-shirts and banners were produced and social media launched to entice sponsorship and Daden Interiors very generously sponsored the club so that the nets, paddles and balls could be purchased.

A Successful First Year

By the end of the first year:

109 people had played at Fleet Aces sessions

5 Club venues included Courtmoor School, Calthorpe Park School, Farnborough Leisure Centre, Everyone Active, and The Garrison.

2 sessions per week (including an 8am start on Sunday ) (someone even turned up straight from a Saturday night party – you know who you are!)

Regular internal tournaments and friendlies against three other local clubs.

Club sponsorship, equipment and branded kit

Great plans for the future of the club

FAPC First Friendly Tournaments

First FAPC Tournament

27th January 2019

(against David Lloyd’s Farnham Picklers – the winners)

Rematch and FAPCs first tournament win!!!

13th November 2019

First Internal Tournaments

By the end of 2019 the traditional internal Summer and Christmas tournaments were established

Subsequent Years at FAPC

Every year has seen progressive changes and developments within the club. They are too numerous to detail here, but with the tireless support of the various committee members and volunteers over the years the club has continued flourished.

With the changing landscape of pickleball in the UK, FAPC has grown and its members have also been able to participate in a wider variety of internal and external tournaments.

Fleet Aces Pickleball Club Ethos

Fleet Aces Pickleball Club was founded with three clear objectives. These were built into the original constitution of the club on 12th Sept 2018:

•Not for profit

•To encourage the growth of pickleball

•To strengthen the bonds of friendship and respect (i.e. have fun)

Fleet Aces continues to provide an opportunity for local people to play Pickleball both competitively and socially. The nature of the club has meant that Pickleball has impacted people’s lives regardless of their sporting abilities. It has always been a club where members ‘give back’ and because of this ethos it is a community and not just a club.

Fleet Aces Pickleball Club Community

FAPC could not exist without the hard work of all its committee members and volunteers who step forward each year to help keep the club running.

On the following pages are names of all committee members who work tirelessly to make the club the success that it is. Thank you for your amazing work.