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06 Apr 2026

Young Derry woman blazing a trail in the tennis world in the north west

Catherine Gallen-Wilcocks at 17 become the first female here to achieve a Level One Tennis Coaching qualification from Tennis Ireland

Young Derry woman blazing a trail in the tennis world in the north west

Catherine Gallen-Wilcocks.

Reporter:

Staff Reporter

06 Apr 2026 9:13 AM

Email:

sport@derrynow.com

A young woman from Derry is blazing a trail in the tennis world in the north west having become the first female here to achieve a Level One Tennis Coaching qualification from Tennis Ireland.
Catherine Gallen-Wilcocks at 17 is certainly one of the youngest players on this island to achieve this.  
However, she did start playing tennis at the tender age of five when much to her mother Sinead's surprise, Catherine having watched Wimbledon, announced she wanted to learn to play tennis.
Thanks to the coaching skills of Peter Fryer, Catherine went on to learn from Peter and his brother Martin as well as from Strabane based coach Chris Neill Smith.
Today she is the number one female player in City of Derry Tennis Club (CoDTC) having consistently won the ladies tournaments in the club since she was 15 years old. She was one of the club's first junior members having joined age ten.
Catherine's coaching qualification covers disability tennis as she spent time coaching wheelchair users and visually impaired tennis players providing opportunities for the club to expand its offerings to a wider base in the future.
She is an assistant coach at the adult beginner's lessons at CoDTC and undertakes junior coaching at Strabane Tennis Club.
Catherine is keen to see more females of all ages playing tennis in the future.
"Tennis coaches are predominantly male and I would like to empower more female coaches in the game.
"Tennis is a great game and is a lifetime sport. I play with people from six to eighty years of age. There are very few sports where you can do that.
"Getting the coaching qualification was the natural way to go for me and it was easy because I love what I'm doing and I hope to inspire more females to follow suit," she said.
Currently studying for her second year A levels at Thornhill College with a view to becoming a Physiotherapist, Catherine also finds time to play Gaelic!
Peter Fryer, Head Coach at CoDTC said "it is so encouraging to see a new female coach and role model in the city who will inspire a new generation of girls and boys to pick up their rackets".
Chairperson of CoDTC Teresa Sweidan commented on how fantastic is has been to watch Catherine grow and develop in the game and in the club.  
"She has invested a lot of time paying back in the club, giving a lot of her free time with the coaching and junior matchplay development. We are all very proud of her.
"Anyone wishing to learn to play or return to the game is very welcome to get in touch with City of Derry Tennis Club," Teresa added.

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