{"id":33756,"date":"2026-09-06T00:33:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T23:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/about\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T00:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T23:33:31","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About Rowan Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/span>

FOUNDED 1988 \u00b7 PETERSFIELD LANE, SURREY<\/p>

An independent academy on thirty acres<\/em><\/h1>

Rowan Hall has coached from the same site, and broadly the same principles, since 1988. Eleven children on a Saturday morning has become seventeen staff, twelve courts and four programmes.<\/p>

38<\/dd>
years coaching in Surrey<\/dt><\/div>
14<\/dd>
county titles since 2020<\/dt><\/div>
11<\/dd>
university scholarships<\/dt><\/div>
3<\/dd>
players on the professional tour<\/dt><\/div><\/dl><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

THE ACADEMY<\/p>

Where the site is<\/em><\/h2>

Rowan Hall sits at the end of Petersfield Lane, forty minutes from junction 10 of the M25 and eleven from Haslemere station. Thirty acres of Surrey parkland hold twelve courts, a 1920s hall, a strength and conditioning suite, a physio clinic and a study centre.<\/p>

It is independent and privately owned, with no local authority or LTA funding attached to it, which is why the fees are what they are and why nothing here is decided by committee.<\/p>

<\/use><\/svg>Plan a visit<\/span><\/a><\/use><\/svg>Our method<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

HISTORY<\/p>

Thirty-eight years, one site<\/em><\/h2>

Rowan Hall has never moved and has had two directors of tennis. Most of what changed was built rather than decided.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n

1988<\/span><\/span>Founded<\/span>

Peter and Judith Ashwell buy thirty acres at Petersfield Lane with four grass courts and a derelict 1920s hall. Coaching starts with eleven children on a Saturday morning.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

1994<\/span><\/span>The clay courts<\/span>

Six European red clay courts laid where the paddock was. Rowan Hall becomes one of the few Surrey clubs coaching year-round on clay.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

2001<\/span><\/span>The indoor roof<\/span>

Four acrylic courts go under a nine-metre clear-span roof. From this point no session has been cancelled for weather.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

2009<\/span><\/span>The junior syllabus<\/span>

Amelie Fortin joins and the mini pathway is rebuilt around stage checkpoints rather than age groups.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

2014<\/span><\/span>Marta Silveira<\/span>

A former WTA top-120 player arrives as Director of Tennis and rewrites the academy syllabus from red ball to full-time.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

2016<\/span><\/span>Full-time programme<\/span>

Twelve places open with on-site schooling to A-level. The study centre is built above court one.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

2019<\/span><\/span>Step-free rebuild<\/span>

The whole site is rebuilt around a step-free route, with accessible changing, a lift to the loggia and ITF wheelchair specification on eight courts.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div>

2026<\/span><\/span>Today<\/span>

Seventeen staff, twelve courts, four programmes and three former players on the professional tour.<\/p><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

PHILOSOPHY<\/p>

Four things we will not trade away<\/em><\/h2>

The syllabus has been revised eleven times since 1988. These have not moved.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg>The full method<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n
<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

Technique before results<\/h3>

A stroke built to survive pressure takes longer to learn. We accept slower progress at eight for faster progress at fourteen.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

One syllabus, twelve courts<\/h3>

Every coach teaches the same swing shapes, so a change of group never means starting over.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

Assessed, not auditioned<\/h3>

No player is placed from a video or a ranking. A senior coach watches a full session first.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

Parents in the loop<\/h3>

A written review each term, an open coaching day every half-term, and one named coach per player.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

LEADERSHIP<\/p>

Who runs Rowan Hall<\/em><\/h2>

Four people between the courts and the office. The average tenure among them is twelve years.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg>All 17 staff<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\"Marta<\/span>Director of Tennis<\/span>Marta Silveira<\/span>Former WTA top-120; coached two players into the world junior top 20 over eleven years on the professional circuit.<\/span>Full profile<\/use><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/div>
\"Douglas<\/span>Head of Performance<\/span>Douglas Rennie<\/span>LTA Master Performance coach. Leads the squads and the county tournament programme.<\/span>Full profile<\/use><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/div>
\"Amelie<\/span>Head of Junior Tennis<\/span>Amelie Fortin<\/span>Seventeen years teaching the mini pathway; wrote the academy\u2019s red-ball syllabus.<\/span>Full profile<\/use><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/div>
\"Gill<\/span>Academy Manager & Parent Liaison<\/span>Gill Anstey<\/span>Books parent meetings, holds the safeguarding lead role for the academy, and is the person who answers when you call the office.<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

PLAYER PATHWAY<\/p>

Five stages, one syllabus<\/em><\/h2>

A player moves stage when the technical checkpoints hold under a live ball, not at a birthday. The same route runs from a first racket at four to a full-time programme at eighteen.<\/p>

<\/use><\/svg>Programmes<\/span><\/a><\/use><\/svg>Where it leads<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/span>Red \u00b7 ages 4 \u2014 7<\/span>Scaled courts, soft balls, rallying from the first session.<\/span><\/span><\/div>
<\/span>Orange \u00b7 ages 7 \u2014 9<\/span>The swing shapes that will not be rebuilt later.<\/span><\/span><\/div>
<\/span>Green \u00b7 ages 9 \u2014 11<\/span>Full-court movement and the first tactical patterns.<\/span><\/span><\/div>
<\/span>Yellow \u00b7 ages 11 \u2014 15<\/span>Game style identified. County standard and a planned tournament year.<\/span><\/span><\/div>
<\/span>Performance \u00b7 15 \u2014 21<\/span>Full-time training, match craft, and the tour or college decision.<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

FACILITIES<\/p>

What is on the site<\/em><\/h2>

Ten of the twelve courts play year-round, and everything else sits within two minutes\u2019 walk of a baseline.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg>Facilities & gallery<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n
<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

12 courts<\/h3>

Six clay, four indoor acrylic, two grass<\/p><\/span><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

30 acres<\/h3>

Surrey parkland at Petersfield Lane<\/p><\/span><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

S&C suite<\/h3>

240m\u00b2, built for tennis rather than fitness<\/p><\/span><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

Physio clinic<\/h3>

Five days a week, termly screening<\/p><\/span><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

Study centre<\/h3>

24 supervised desks above court one<\/p><\/span><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg><\/span>

Clubhouse<\/h3>

1920s hall, caf\u00e9, loggia over court one<\/p><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span>

COME AND SEE IT<\/p>

Thirty acres are hard to describe<\/h2>

Tours run on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings during term. Or book a trial and see the coaching itself, which is the part that matters.<\/p><\/div>

<\/use><\/svg>Book a trial<\/span><\/a><\/use><\/svg>Book a tour<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rowan Hall has coached from the same site, and broadly the same principles, since 1988. Eleven children on a Saturday morning has become seventeen staff, twelve courts and four programmes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-title","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33756","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.sportpulse.anpsthemes.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}