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Winner of 2025 LTA Tennis Awards in Oxfordshire:
Tennis Opened Up - Find out more here​
​New Juniors and Adults Welcome - Join at any time
Sessions for all ages abilities
Beginners - Advanced sessions available
Walking Tennis for players who want to play at a slower pace
MEET THE TEAM
Edward Large
​Edward created the Excel Tennis Academy to make tennis accessible for everyone and to create a pathway for school pupils to join their local tennis clubs.
Edward has always loved working with juniors and mentoring them to become future tennis coaches. Since 2004 he has mentored over 30 people many of which are now full time tennis coaches, have careers in sport or have gained access to careers and universities due to their experience.
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He is very proud of all his students achievements and the pupils who he has helped create a career for their future.
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His love of sport, fitness and especially tennis has driven him to create an Academy which currently has over 500 people a week in coaching, 7 Tennis programmes at clubs and local facilities, 7 tennis coaches and 19 primary schools in the 'Excel Tennis Academy Schools Partnership'
Edward’s current activities include:
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Managing the EXCEL TENNIS ACADEMY
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Managing the coaching programmes at all our 7 venues
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Organising the schools’ programme
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Organising the junior club teams and EXCEL matchplay events along with the Academy’s competition organisers.
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Coaching a variety of players from beginners through to junior county players and adult club first teams
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Working with beginners and players coming back to the game.
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Mentoring young and upcoming tennis coaches
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Working with local authorities to help promote sport in the local community
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Coach and Leadership Training
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Developing local facilities to help promote exercise and tennis to the wider community
Some of Edwards qualifications
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L.T.A LEVEL 4 Senior Club Coach Award
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L.T.A Club Coaches Award (CCA)
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L.T.A Development Coaches Award (DCA)
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Equity in coaching
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Emergency First Aid at work
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Cardio Tennis Instructor
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FAA Level 3 Paediatric First Aid
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Safeguarding, Protection and Welfare trained
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LTA Accredited
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5 Facts about Edward
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Loves classic cars and bikes
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Played the drums since he was 5
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Is a keen fish keeper with a large marine fish tank and koi pond
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Was in a successful band playing gigs in london including the national NME competition
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Is happiest when gardening, doing DIY or building something
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What people have said about Edward Large
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'Ed and myself go back many years as both friends and professional coaches, Ed always creates the right coaching environment to learn and have fun in, in the pursuit of finding the winning formula. Ed comes highly recommended.
Chris Hampton, National Coach of the year
Edward created the Excel Tennis Academy in 2003 when he was 19 to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds a chance to get involved and learn to play tennis.
Edward started assisting coaching tennis when he was 14 years old at his local club. He knew straight away he wanted this to be his career. At 16 years old he started his coaching qualifications and by the age of 21 was a level 4 tennis coach, one of the youngest in the country. Early on in his time as a coach he realised that there was a need to make tennis more accessible for everyone and he made this his focus when he created the Excel Tennis Academy.
He took on his first Head Coach’s role at 19 turning a small club programme with just 20 pupils on a Saturday into a thriving programme with over 200 people across 6 days a week.
​​Ryan has been with the Excel Tennis Academy as a coach since he was 16. He actually started a few years prior to this as an assistant, working with a variety of coaches at the time.
When the time came to come on board full time he jumped at the chance.
During his time with Excel, Ryan has worked his way from being an assistant, taking his qualifications to become a full time coach, then head coach.
Now Ryan co-runs Excel with Ed.
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Ryan is very proud of a variety of achievements and accomplishments during his coaching career.
Some noteable highlights are, a range players he has coached being selected to play for the county, being a real driving force in schools tennis, Ryan reckons that over his 12 year coaching career so far, he has seen over 5000 different players through the school links.
He is also proud of players he has taught as juniors go on to represent the adult teams at various clubs, as well as our new SEND partnership, going into schools to deliver tennis to players who otherwise would not have access to coaching in the sport.
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​Ryans’s current activities include:
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- Running the Excel programme day to day
- Delivering schools tennis across West Oxfordshire
- Managing coaches and their schedules
- Responding to new inquiries
- Advising players and parents on all things tennis, including sessions, rackets and more
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Some of Ryans interests and hobbies
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Playing hockey
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Eating out
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Watching films and series
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Going to car shows
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Some of Ryans qualifications
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Level 3 Tennis coach
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Level 2 Multi Sports coaching
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Cardio Tennis Instructor
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FAA Level 3 paediatric first aid
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Emergency first aid
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Safeguarding children in sport
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Enhanced DBS check
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LTA accredited plus
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Ryan Fitz-John
I started playing tennis in the 1970s, it was a different game back then, wooden rackets and whites were the order of the day. I did my first coaching course in the early 1980s when I started my career as an aircraft technician in the Royal Air Force. I went on to play competitively at interstation level at every unit I was posted to apart from RAF Leuchars (they didn’t have a team when I arrived and I had broken my leg playing football for the Squadron when they wanted to start one). After I left the RAF in 2005, being busy with working all hours, I hadn’t picked a racket up in over ten years before I joined Witney Tennis Club! That was in 2016, I am now a member of the club’s committee and I have adopted the philosophy of doing things for the fun of it, and that includes careers as well. I did some technical instructing in the RAF and enjoyed that, I love tennis, so an obvious choice was to teach tennis! I am obviously not as quick around the court these days, but I have plenty of knowledge and experience to impart as well as bags of enthusiasm! I started my coaching courses in 2019 and am now a level 2 coaching assistant and plan to reach level three in the very near future.
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Gary’s other interests include:
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Football – I am a member of Carterton Social Football Club.
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Running – I am a former member of Witney Roadrunners and have completed countless half marathons and finished three full ones too (London Marathon twice).
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Cycling – I love to get out on a bicycle when I can, longest ride was about 120 miles.
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Swimming – I completed a virtual cross channel swim in a swimming pool a couple of years ago. I had eight weeks to do it in, but did it in four, so I swam back, in three weeks!
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Triathlon – The three sports above naturally marry up to triathlon. I have done lots of sprint distance triathlons and finished three Olympic distance events (1500m swim, 40km bike and 10k run)
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Painting miniature figures – yeah, I bet that one got you? Well I have to do something sedentary!
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Qualifications and Training
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LTA Level 2 Coaching Qualification
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LTA Accredited Coach
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Safeguarding and Protection Trained
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Emergency First Aid at Work
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Gary Burcombe
Joining Witney Lawn Tennis Club in 1997, within a short time Chris started helping with junior coaching and was the Club Junior Coordinator. Whilst working, he completed a DCA Level 3 qualification in 2002 and has since coached at Witney, Standlake and Kingston Bagpuize.
Chris is also the present Chair of Witney Lawn Tennis Club
Some of Chris’ Interests and Hobbies
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He is a big Chelsea fan and season ticket holder. His “Best Ever Football Day” was watching them win the 2012 Champions League in Munich.
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Golf takes a lot of his time. Similar to tennis, good coaching and having another person’s eyes is vital to improving, so Chris is having lessons and working on reducing his handicap.
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Other sports, cycling, yoga, skiing and walking.
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Qualifications and Training
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LTA Level 3 Qualification
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LTA Accredited + Coach
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Tennis for Kids Qualification
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LTA Youth Qualification
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Cardio Tennis
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Coaching Female Players: Physique to Technique
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Momentum, Mental Skills and Match Craft
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Balanced Action Foot Technique
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British Doubles System: Louis Cayer
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Safeguarding and Protection
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Emergency First Aid at Work
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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Walking Tennis
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Chris Pyne
I have a massive passion for tennis and love getting as many people playing and loving the game. I have coached in clubs and schools for over 15 years so have built up a huge client base along with experience of teaching a wide range of ages and abilities from tot beginners to 85 year olds.
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I joined the Excel tennis academy team in 2019 and have worked hard to build the numbers at KBS. We now have over 50 regularly playing juniors and the adult programmes are doing well with regular groups and teams competing in Oxford leagues.
I love watching all sports and like walking and swimming as leisure activities. I have a 3 year old daughter that keeps me busy and is very adventurous including sharing a love for tennis.
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I look forward to getting more people to LOVE THE GAME!
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Some of Toms Qualifications and Training
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LTA Licenced Level 3
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Under 10’s and Schools Specialist
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Lead Coach KBS Tennis Club
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Dom started volunteering with the Excel Tennis Academy as a junior, helping coaches out with mini-red sessions and summer holiday courses. Completing his coaching qualifications at the age of 16, Dom continued to work with the academy as a part time coach while studying for his A-Levels. Dom now works with the academy full time running coaching sessions in Witney and Standlake, as well as helping Ed with the academy administrative work.
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Some of Dom's interests and hobbies include:​
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Long Distance Running
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Graphics Design
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Longboard riding
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Qualifications and Training
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LTA Level 2 Coaching Qualification
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LTA Accredited Coach
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Safeguarding and Protection Trained
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Emergency First Aid at Work
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Paediatric First Aid
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Tom Wilsdon
Dom Mills
​Corey first started coaching in 2003
He has a wide range of experience having worked in numerous school and club programs.
He has achieved Level 4 LTA - CCA Performance Coach - RPT Advanced Qualification – and is PTR Qualified.
Corey spent several years is he early career working Spain working under the guidance and mentorship of a retired professional Spanish player.
In 2010 Corey completed his Bsc in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and as a result was invited to work with the performance program at Bisham Abbey providing psychology coaching to British top level junior and professional competitors.
Moving to Mallorca in 2019 Corey joined the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor and participated in the training program for a short period before the pandemic shut down all operations.
Corey now works as a consultant and high performance mindset coach alongside his role as club tennis coach at Excel Academy.
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Some of Corey's interests and hobbies include:​
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Classic Cars
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Successful online Sim Racing Driver
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Qualifications and Training
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LTA Level 4 SCC Performance
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Corey Butler
​I started teaching in 1997 working as Head of P.E. at St. Edward’s School Reading for 14 years.
After leaving my post I have worked as Head Coach at Wychwoods Tennis
Club and as West Oxfordshire Schools Sports Co-ordinator organising
School Sports and training Primary school teachers how to deliver Sport in
the Curriculum.
After playing tennis representing school and university I Continued to play as Men’s A Captain at Wychwoods TC, playing Men’s Division 1 and Premier standard in Oxfordshire leagues. I still play and provide cover present day.
My playing achievements have included winning the Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles multiple times at the Wychwoods Club Championships.
5 Facts about Giles​
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Hobbies-Gardening, Swimming, running, cycling, bodyboarding, fishing.
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Ed Large and I were once Doubles Partners! One of us provided power and the other…even more power!!
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I went to School in Newcastle Upon Tyne!
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My wife and I Qualified to play in a charity tournament at the All England Club Wimbledon in 2005. We played on the indoor practice courts and the clay courts but weren’t able to Compete on the famous grass!
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I’m really fond of bumble bees!
Qualifications and Training
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BA Ed. P.E.
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Level 3 Tennis Coach
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LTA Accredited
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Giles Henderson
​I started playing tennis when I was 3 at Evesham Tennis Club in Worcestershire where I played for 11 years before joining their coaching team at the age of 14.
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I took my Level 1 coaching course when I was 17 and started coaching at the University of Warwick, alongside Evesham. At the same time, I was studying Health & Social Care at college and during one of my placements I got invited to a visually impaired tennis tournament in London...that tournament is where I decided I wanted to focus on disability & inclusion tennis.
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Shortly after that, I passed my Level 2 coaching course which gave me the opportunity to build a disability tennis programme at the University of Warwick, and around Coventry working with Visually Impaired players, wheelchair players and players with learning disabilities.
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I'm an energetic coach with a love for introducing people to the sport who may not have necessarily had a chance to try tennis before!
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Ed asked me to join Excel Tennis to help build their SEND Tennis and Inclusive offering. I will be working in Witney one day a week whilst still fulfilling my role at the University of Warwick and around Coventry.
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I'm really looking forward to working for Excel Tennis and helping them to build their offering!
Qualifications and Training
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LTA Accredited Level 2
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Emergency First Aid at Work
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Cardio tennis qualified
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Safeguarding & Prevent trained
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Enhanced DBS Check
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Wheelchair Tennis coaching qualified
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Coaching players with Learning Disabilities & Complex Disabilities qualified.
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