​Joop Broens succesvolle opbouwtrainer bij TC Venlo

Author: Ad Engelhart
(Translated for the website)

Joop Broens started in 1995 as selection trainer and coach at TC Venlo.
TC Venlo was the biggest tennis club of Limburg with around 150 junior members, but the performance level wasn’t what it should be.

Joop developed, together with chairman Techn,Cie, a perennial policy plan with measurable and clear goals, that focussed on the training of the own youth players to reach national top level.
In a couple of years the amount of youth players grew from 150 to 300. The youth selection was increased to 40 participants in 5 different age groups and the training schedule, frequency and tournaments were almost doubled.

All the selection members had annual goals to achieve and were found on the youth national ranking. The best of them were often found in top twenty, sometimes top ten, positions.
At the Limburg Youth Championships the prizes where often won by TC Venlo players in all the age groups.

At the National Youth Championships TC Venlo often had the most qualified participants. For example in 2001 there were 9 of them.​

The first youth team became 3rd in the playoffs of The Netherlands in 2000.
Very soon the 1st senior team was represented by the best junior players and promoted from 3rd to 2nd class and in one go to 1st class.
In the International Junior Regional tennis TC Venlo was the only full on club team. In 3 years’ time it went from 2nd to 1st division and immediately became champion.

Drawn by the many successes young and ambitious players from Limburg, but also from Brabant and Gelderland, wanted to join the selection and competition teams of TC Venlo.
In a period of 8 years about ten players achieved A status or play strength category 1 or 2. Therewith the goals from the youth policy plan were achieved.

​Striking is the fact that more than 10 players from this time period have become full time or part time tennis trainers.
Characterizing the enthusiasm and inspiration they got out of their selection years with trainer Joop Broens.

''Finishing my CIOS education,
​I started as a tennis trainer for several tennis clubs.
After gaining 7 years of experience with smaller clubs I became head trainer at TC Venlo in 1995.
Here I trained young, talented players between 10 and 18 years old.''