"It's exciting to feel very welcomed and be a part of the community."
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Mudgee District Tennis Club (MDTC) have welcomed a new face to their head of coaching, with Mario Cabral taking the reins.
Having played professionally in Europe and America for 35 years and coached for 25, Cabral is the ideal man for the job who is on a mission to turn the tennis courts into a 'hub'.
"For the last couple of years, my wife Melaine and I have been coming to Mudgee, and I always use to wonder what was happening with the tennis courts or programs," Mario said.
"I think the community is excited to make tennis a hub, a place where you can meet other families, play tennis and hang out, it's how I grew up."
Cabral has spent the last 10 years coaching in Sydney, and says his experience not only with all age groups and levels will add value to programs, but so too with the knowledge he has of the sport in all aspects.
"I've always been around clubs and seen the benefit of the sport, maybe I'm a little bias but it is important to have someone who has a bigger view to see what the sport can do for the community," he said.
"There has to be a lot of excitement, enthusiasm and fun. If you come and do a lesson and you don't leave absolutely loving it, then we're doing something wrong. It's like an amusement park, if you don't feel like 'wow, they gave me such a great experience,' then why would people want to come back?
"Kids need to feel like that and that's something I think is really important to achieve when you coach.
It's also important to build a very good team, and that's what I feel I'll be able to bring.
- Mudgee District Tennis Club head of coaching, Mario Cabral
Mudgee District Tennis Club president Angus Macdonald says the addition of Mario brings along many opportunities to not only players, but also the club as a whole.
"We are very excited to have Mario because of his high calibre, it just takes our club to the next level and gives our members an amazing opportunity in the level they can access," Macdonald said.
"Our combined vision with Mario is to make MDTC a regional centre of excellence for junior tennis and a tennis destination.
"As a club, we look forward to working with Mario in strengthening our relationships with the local schools and also offering opportunities to surrounding small schools.
Our members will now have the opportunity to play in additional junior tournaments here in Mudgee and participate in high performance clinics both in Mudgee and Sydney.
- Mudgee District Tennis Club president, Angus Macdonald
"Tennis truly is a game for all ages and families. As a club, our actively playing members range in age from three to 85 which is amazing."
Cabral stepped into the roll last Sunday and has since had two coaching sessions. And, while it is only just the beginning, he says there's a lot more where that came from.
"The response has been overwhelmingly good. For me, it is a long term thing and I'm excited for the future," he said.
Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
