Local Legends: Reuben McNabb - Rebuilding Community Through Tennis

“Local Legends” is a web article series where Tennis NZ celebrates club workers and volunteers who give generous time and energy for the betterment of their club. If you want to nominate someone, click here.

Tennis New Zealand sat down with Reuben McNabb - Head Coach at South Brighton Tennis Club in Christchurch and Junior Advisory Board Member for Tennis Canterbury - to hear about his journey at the club, rebuilding after the earthquakes, and why he is such a revered coach.

Reuben McNabb has been affiliated with South Brighton Tennis Club since 1999, however his history with tennis goes back much further. Canterbury born and bred, he said growing up it wasn’t a choice whether you played sport, it was more which one you played.

“Everyone played sport. If I didn't play tennis it would have been cricket. I don't remember it being a conscious decision - it could have been Dad deciding. I just enjoyed tennis more. Enjoying that independence. It was more on your own schedule than say cricket.”

McNabb remembers the difference in parenting that he experienced, compared to the parents he now deals with.

“It’s not like that anymore, because parenting has changed. In the 70s and 80s it was a pushbike to the club, maybe alerting mum that you’ll be out having a hit, just making sure you were back before dark. These days it’s pick-up, drop-off, regimented - so it’s more organised, less casual.”

With a young family of his own, McNabb wanted to get everyone involved with not just a sport, but a community.

“My kids wanted to play as well, so it became a family thing to do. It was definitely social and parenting factors that brought me back to tennis.”

The club enjoyed having the McNabbs involved, and spotted the potential Reuben had as a potential coach early on.

“My first volunteer role was as a parent helper. Just from being around, helping pick up the balls, the club noticed I kinda knew what I was doing and picked up on my coaching experience from football. None of that would have happened if it wasn't a happy and welcoming club. It wasn't hierarchical at all.”

This approachable, fair mentality stayed pivotal as Reuben began his coaching qualifications, and became the cornerstone of his coaching philosophy when he rose to Head Junior Coach at the club.

“The philosophy is, the five year olds playing Red Ball, all the way through to our Division One players should have the same quality of engagement from the club. We need to be just as engaged with each end of the spectrum, to keep young people in the game for longer, and to grow the sport.”

“I want the six year olds playing red ball to be our Junior Prems team in eight years time.”

That kind of loyalty is earned, not given. So Reuben makes sure to go the extra mile with all coaching clients.

“They feel better about themselves if they know I’ve remembered they’ve had a holiday in Fiji, or what week the exams are for the year 11’s. If I say ‘good luck’ - they do pick up on that stuff. If you’re that little bit more aware of who they are, they are more engaged at a social level. “

This long term thinking was significantly challenged in 2011 as Christchurch suffered through a series of ferocious earthquakes, claiming lives and livelihoods all over the city.

“In January 2011 our head coach at the time left for Japan for six months, and left me in charge. Two weeks later it all went down.”

“The February earthquake absolutely smashed us. The courts were broken, there were four foot high sand dunes in the middle of the courts, with water running through it all. The aftershocks kept compounding the problem.”

Eventually we organised a working party and did a massive clean up. We filled and asphalted all the big smashes to get us back on court, despite the courts being green and black. But you could fall from court two to court three. It wasn’t level.”

McNabb knew the community was suffering, and wanted to provide a neutral space as quickly as possible.

“Some member’s houses were written off on the day. Many members just up and left Christchurch altogether. I felt it was important to continue in some capacity so people had a space to come and do something. To give them an outlet.”

“But we lost a lot of members, so the junior-based membership drive was almost forced.”

The junior-based membership drive was Reuben convincing the club to let him focus on rebuilding membership from the ground up.

“In 2013 we had 85 members, which was critically low. We also had no members between 20-30 years old which is a massive market. Now, we are well over 200 total members, and from that, we do have a healthy young person contingent. Many of whom were juniors back then who have stayed on.”

While McNabb knew that this demographic was important for the club, he also knew that it was a crucial time in a young player's life to pick up these skills.

“From Orange Ball to 10s Interclub - that's the critical point. I do virtually all that coaching, I really knuckle down on that stuff. History shows me that if we get that right, they will stay in the game for longer. If they really enjoy it, then the coach's job is done.”

“If they want to, they are capable of playing tennis for the rest of their life. That is a great goal for me. If I want my players to win big championships, to feel better about myself, that's not a great goal. If players start losing when winning is the only marker of coaching, then it’s problematic to keep the young people engaged.”

Others at South Brighton Tennis Club praise McNabb for his commitment to the sport, and the club.

“Reuben makes tennis fun and interesting for everyone involved; he is creative and innovative in his approach, and is always looking for ways to make tennis relevant to each player.”

A parent recently said “Reuben does more than teach our son to play tennis, he’s helping him to grow up.”