Lansdowne Lawn Tennis Club played matchmaker on Saturday May 13th with a very unique and different fun event – Speed Dating Tennis. The only rule was you had to be single and ready to mingle. Tickets flew out for this because it was new and exciting and the event was open to all Dublin tennis clubs but you didn’t have to be a member to join in or be a tennis pro, you just needed your game face on ready to ace a date.
These eager, nervous and enthusiastic groups of people were kitted out in their best tennis attire, all ready to serve up a good time.
Rhoda McDonagh, head of the social club committee in LTC, welcomed everybody and set the format of the day which consisted of two groups who were all matched by their age profile. The first group to start were the over 25s to 35s. They would play three minutes of mixed doubles, get a few rallies going to get to know one another, then swap partners and switch courts. Ten courts were in use so people had plenty of time to meet everyone and as the ladies stayed on the court, all the men were rotated after the time, going around each one until they reached the court they started on. Then the over 40s and 50s played the same way. It was all banter and craic and having fun with tennis in a comfortable and relaxed environment. 40 women and 40 men participated altogether on the day and wore name tags for easier communication with one another.
Emma Barnes, Vice President of the club committee was on hand with her loud megaphone to make sure it all ran smoothly, using words of motivation if anyone needed a push! a la Des!!
There was also a drinks promotion on offer in the bar (Dutch courage) and everyone received a raffle ticket to use for the amazing, tasty food served up by Country Grill Rotisserie, who had their food truck outside the club, specialising in Bavarian style chicken, with mouthwatering wraps, loaded fries and sauces. They can be booked for private parties and corporate events on their Facebook and Instagram page.
When the tennis part was complete, and people had changed into their Saturday night party clobber, everyone was asked to write down the name of their perfect date, if they spotted someone they liked on the court and all the names went into a box to win tickets for the crooner of love, Michael Buble on the
following Sunday evening in the 3Arena. Two lucky winners were chosen, Nick Furlong and Daniella Manca so here’s hoping the ‘love’ of tennis worked its magic.
The clubhouse and bar was buzzing later on as the sun went down, with music and drinks flowing, with everyone chatting away, having a ball, maybe swapping numbers or making plans for a date, making this event a very successful first go.
Speed dating is the hottest new dating trend and most single people are looking for cool and unique experiences like these as they are exciting ways to interact with groups of other singletons, to better gauge a potential match. Talking with a lot of people in a short time takes the stress out of long boring conversations that you might endure on normal first dates, so fast moving chat helps break the ice and talking to people from different backgrounds in a friendly environment can help improve conversation
skills.
Lansdowne Lawn Tennis Club is situated in Londonbridge Road in Dublin 4. It is a very social and inclusive club with 10 all weather floodlit courts, changing facilities and an amazing clubhouse and bar with spectacular views of the Aviva Stadium. There are plenty of social functions all through the year for members and they cater to all skill levels, supporting a Junior Tennis Program that runs in line with the school year, along with a series of camps throughout the holidays.
They are always looking for new members to sign up so get in touch with the club by phone on 01-6680219, or follow their social media platforms, or check out their website at lansdowneltc.com.
