Athlone Tennis Club receives award under Texaco Support for Sport initiative
Athlone Tennis Club has been chosen as winners of the Westmeath county award in this year’s Texaco Support for Sport initiative, with €5,000 presented to the club to help fund its ongoing development programme.
Following many years of planning, and two years of building, Athlone Tennis Club recently moved into its new home at Athlone Regional Sports Centre, complete with three children’s courts, three clay courts and a modular building offering restroom and WC facilities. The club believes this new community asset will provide the people of Athlone, and the surrounding region, with the opportunity to learn how to play tennis, keep fit and healthy, and participate in social activities.
Now in its fourth year, the Texaco Support for Sport initiative – organised by Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, the company that markets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand – sees a fund of €130,000 set aside annually for allocation in equal amounts of €5,000 to successful applicants chosen on a county-by-county basis.
Previous Westmeath winners were Drumraney Camogie Club (2023), Garrycastle LGFA (2022) and Ringtown Camogie Club (2021).
Overseeing this year's judging process was Texaco Support for Sport ambassador, former Irish rugby international and well-known broadcaster, Donncha O’Callaghan. Commenting, he said: “As adjudicator, the most heartening aspect of the Texaco Support for Sport initiative is the benefit it brings to Irish sports clubs by providing rare access to funds which are not linked to the popularity, membership size or success of any given club.”
Describing Athlone Tennis Club club as “a most deserving winner”, O’Callaghan said that the club “has a genuine focus on inclusion and participation for all. With its new location, it can now cater for additional members and this funding will help to support the club at a critical time in its development”.
“I wish all involved with this club the best of luck in the future as it aspires to create talented tennis players whilst also being a focal point for its members and the wider Athlone community,” O’Callaghan added.
Congratulating all the winners, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations, Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, highlighted “the invaluable contribution that sports clubs make to the heart of community life in Ireland”. He also praised the unstinting work of club officials and volunteers, stating that “since its inception, in excess of €500,000 has been distributed to a variety of more than 100 sports clubs under the Texaco Support for Sport initiative”.
Entries for the 2025 Texaco Support for Sport initiative will open in the autumn for all clubs, including those whose application may have been unsuccessful previously.