Moving on to pastures new
Posted by on 7 December 2024
At this time of celebration we’re sad at GSTC to see the departure of coach (and former Member of the Month) Olly Halliwell. Olly is getting married in January, before heading off for a new life with bride Ifthi, Ladies' Captain since 2018.
He is to go beyond Sawston and even further than Peterborough, moving five thousand miles to the remote Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives. If things go to plan Olly will continue his work there, coaching the national men’s Davis Cup and women’s Billie-Jean King Cup teams against tennis giants such as Bhutan, Yemen and the mighty Nepal. Olly, 29, has been at the club for more than half his life, starting as a 13 year old helper with tennis camps in 2009. So will he miss Shelford? “I’ll miss the people” he says, “but it’ll be a very different environment where I won’t have to wear this woolly hat or use a leaf blower before going on court”.
Club head coach Hamid Hejazi said, “Olly is the beating heart of our junior tennis program and is one of those people everyone loves. I am incredibly sad to see Olly leave and he will be impossible to replace. His loyalty, honesty and humility are what defines him. Not only is he one of the best tennis coaches to ever work with me but, more importantly, one of life’s great people and someone I proudly call a friend.”
We all wish Olly and Ifthi well on their exciting new adventures.
