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Indoor facilities key to increasing tennis participation for all

18/10/2017

More wheelchair users across the Midlands could get the chance to discover touchtennis and play year-round following the success of a programme at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall campus and an LTA initiative designed to improve grassroots tennis facilities.

Wheelchair athlete David Sinclair, from Walsall, discovered touchtennis through playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Wolverhampton. The programme is run throughout the region by Walsall-based tennis coach Clayton Edge, who originally held sessions on the grass at the Arboretum.

This proved a huge barrier for David who, as a youngster, was a keen tennis player before an accident in his teens left him in a wheelchair and unsure he would play again. However, with the support of the University, Clayton was able to begin sessions indoors at the Walsall campus, which enabled David to return to a sport he loves.

One of the key differences to David's experience is the access to indoor facilities – playing indoors means it is far easier for him to move around the court and has really enabled him to excel at the sport. 

David said: “I’ve always been sporty and I was so happy to discover touchtennis and begin playing again. I loved the sport as a kid and didn’t want being in a wheelchair to affect that. One of the biggest differences for me is having access to well-surfaced or indoor facilities, because it’s almost impossible to move around on grass in a wheelchair.

“Having access to these sessions with Clayton here at the Walsall campus has enabled me to play to a high standard and I know access to more indoor facilities and well-surfaced courts would allow more wheelchair athletes to take up the sport.”

David has progressed enormously as a wheelchair touchtennis player, and now plays regularly in tournaments. Recently, he became the first wheelchair athlete to take part in the main draw of the Black Country Open. 

Van Willerton, Regional Participation Manager for the LTA in the Midlands, said: “We’re very proud to work with Clayton in delivering programmes like touchtennis, which is a form of tennis that is absolutely suitable for everyone. The fact that David can play with able-bodied athletes here at the

University of Wolverhampton is a fantastic example of how these programmes can be enjoyed by all.

“The key to increasing opportunities for people to play is through facilities like these here at the University’s Walsall campus and, with the recent record level of funding for grassroots facilities available through Transforming British Tennis Together, there has never been a better time for clubs, universities and local authorities to tell the LTA what is needed in their local areas to get more people playing the game.”

Transforming British Tennis Together aims to reduce the barriers to playing tennis by doubling the number of floodlit and covered courts across the UK over the next ten years, increasing available playing hours. The initiative will also see the LTA work with local communities across the region to:

  • Install online booking and entry systems so everyone can book a tennis court easily from their mobile phone, computer or tablet;
  • Refurbish courts, clubhouses and other social spaces to ensure players have a great experience every time they visit;
  • Support other innovative and creative ideas that meet local demand.

Kate Williams, Senior Officer for Sports Development at Walsall Council, said: “It’s great to see University facilities here in Walsall being used by tennis clubs and wider community programmes. We work closely with the LTA and other tennis partners in the area to develop local tennis projects and support clubs and coaches in delivering community tennis.

We have introduced touchtennis at Walsall Arboretum and we are happy to look at all initiatives which might get more people active. The exciting new investment programme in Transforming British Tennis Together is something we hope will help us continue to deliver sustainable and accessible opportunities for all”.

Deputy Director of the University of Wolverhampton’s Institute of Sport, Bess Evans, said: “We’re very excited to see how the LTA’s multi-million pound investment could benefit us here at the University of Wolverhampton. With Birmingham’s bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games it is a really significant time for sport in the West Midlands.

“Walsall as an area is not physically active enough and the possibility to improve and develop facilities with tennis at its heart is a fantastic chance for us to increase participation in the region.

“We’ve seen today how the university can partner with community initiatives like the touchtennis programme and we’d love to be a part of more initiatives with the help of the LTA to get people more active and playing tennis.”

The LTA is now calling on tennis clubs, parks, local government, volunteers, coaches and businesses across the region to come together and register their interest in bidding for investment to transform their local tennis facilities at www.lta.org.uk/TBTT. There are also opportunities to join the LTA at regional roadshows in the region to find out more about Transforming British Tennis Together and what the investment can do in local areas. To sign up for a roadshow event, visit www.lta.org.uk/venuemanagement/facilities-advice

ENDS -

Further Information:

Anna Young

Anna.young@runcommunications.co.uk

07799 064676

George Dabby

George.Dabby@runcommunications.co.uk

07954 359313

NOTES

ABOUT THE LTA:

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is the National Governing Body for tennis in Great Britain, responsible for developing and promoting the sport, with a mission to get more people playing tennis more often.   It does this under the consumer brand of British Tennis, by working with a broad range of partners and over 25,000 volunteers, to grow the game in communities, clubs and schools.  The LTA represents the interests of over 590,000 British Tennis Members, men and women, girls and boys across the country, playing on more than 23,000 courts.  The LTA runs and supports a network of 11,500 approved tournaments for players of all ages, the corner-stones of which are the premier grass court events leading up to Wimbledon, held in Nottingham, Birmingham, Queen’s Club-London and Eastbourne.  The LTA works with many delivery partners to grow the sport across the country.  One of these is its charitable entity, the Tennis Foundation, to provide a tennis provision for more than 20,000 schools, disadvantaged youth as well as promoting tennis as an inclusive sport for anyone with a disability.   For further information about the LTA and British Tennis, and to review the British Tennis strategy for 2015 – 2019 visit www.lta.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @BritishTennis.

 

 

 

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