Tennis · Most Improved
Tennis Most Improved Award
A tennis most improved award goes to the player whose game has moved on the furthest over the year, and it is often the award a coach cares about most. It rewards effort rather than results, so it can go to a nervous beginner or a steady league player who finally found a second serve. This page looks at how clubs choose the winner and how to word the award.
A few ways to make it yours
The designer
Design yours
Upload your club crest, type up to four lines and see it on the glass.
Simple pricing
End of season award prices: £8.99 small · £13.99 large
Mix sizes and designs freely. One delivery charge per order.
Minimum 5 awards. Delivery £10.00 per order.
Tennis end of season awards: who the award is really for
At most clubs the most improved award sits in the junior section, where progress is fast and easy to see. Plenty of clubs also give one to adults, often from the improvers' group or the social tennis sessions, where someone has turned up every week and quietly become a match player.
It is worth deciding in advance whether you have one award for the whole club or one per group. A club with a busy junior programme might give separate awards for mini tennis, older juniors and adults.
How coaches and captains pick a winner
For younger juniors, the mini tennis stages give a clear marker. A child who started the year on red ball and has moved through orange to green has made visible progress. For older players, coaches look at match results, ladder or box league positions and how their technique has changed in group sessions.
For adults, team captains are often best placed to say who has improved, especially if a player has been picked for a higher team for the first time. Most clubs let the head coach make the final call, with input from captains.
Wording ideas
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER is the standard line 1. If you give more than one, put the group on the last line instead of the year, for example ORANGE BALL or LADIES' TEAM, so each award is clearly different. Line 2 is the club and line 3 the player.
For young juniors, keep the wording simple and the name large. Children read their own name first, so a short club name helps it stand out. You can always drop the year line altogether.
Fitting it into a tennis presentation
Most improved awards suit the Small square block at £8.99, sitting alongside the champions' Large awards. Presenting them early in the evening, before the championship titles, keeps younger players and their parents engaged.
If several coaches each nominate a player, the bulk option lets you paste a list of names and apply them to one design. Your badge only needs uploading once.
When to make the decision
Improvement shows over a whole year, so most coaches make the choice after the summer season and club championships, when they have seen players in matches as well as in coaching. Ask coaches to send names to the junior co-ordinator or committee a few weeks before the presentation, which leaves plenty of time to order once the list is agreed.
Tennis
Award ideas for tennis
Good to know
Questions
Should the most improved award go to a junior or an adult?
Either works, and many clubs give both. Juniors improve quickly and visibly, but an adult improver who has stepped up into league tennis has often worked just as hard. Two separate awards avoid having to compare them.
Can a player win most improved two years running?
Clubs vary. Some prefer to spread it around so more players are recognised, which is a good reason to give one per group. Others simply give it to whoever improved most, whatever happened last year.
How do we show which group the award is for?
Use the fourth line. Text such as GREEN BALL, U14 GIRLS or ADULT IMPROVERS tells everyone which group the player came from, and keeps each award distinct when several are handed out on the same evening.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes, the minimum is 5 awards, mixed freely across sizes and designs. Small awards are £8.99 each and Large awards £13.99, with a flat £10.00 delivery charge per order.
Keep exploring
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Ordering for the whole club?
Finish one design, then reuse the same crest with a new name. Or paste a list of names and add every award in one go. Whatever the number of awards, there is one delivery charge per order.
Ordering for a club