LTA Hits 20,000 Tennis for kids target

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) today has hit its target of getting 20,000 children signed up to take part in its biggest ever grass roots initiative, Tennis for Kids in partnership with Highland Spring this summer. 

After Great Britain’s historic Davis Cup by BNP Paribas win two years ago, the initiative was launched to establish a genuine tennis participation legacy by developing a new generation of tennis loving children. 

The Tennis for Kids initiative aims to inspire children aged 5-8 to pick up a racket and play tennis for the first time. It’s a six week course led by specially trained coaches, with free rackets given away to children who complete their course. 

Last year, the LTA coached nearly 14,000 children through the initiative. This year, it set itself the stretch target of coaching 20,000 children and has already smashed it. 

Additional courses are now being made available due to such popular demand and the LTA is giving 4,000 more kids the opportunity to try tennis for the first time. The extra courses will be running across the country and will continue to be delivered by the same 1,000 coaches recruited to lead the sessions. Parents can sign their kids up for the course at their closest venue at: www.lta.org.uk/tennisforkids 

Alastair Marks, LTA Director of Participation, said: “We are thrilled to see how popular Tennis for Kids has been for a second year running. Demand for places has been sky high so it’s great we can make more available for parents still hoping to book their kids onto courses. It’s a testament to the hard work of our coaches that so many kids will have the chance to experience our great sport this summer. At the LTA, nothing is more important to us than inspiring a future generation to take up tennis and get involved in a sport that they can continue to enjoy throughout their lives.

Johanna Konta, British female No1 and World female No 7, commented, “My first memory is being involved in an after school programme when I was growing up. We’d spend a couple of hours just learning how to bounce the ball on the racket, little things like that but it was a lot of fun!”

“Tennis for Kids gets kids involved; it gets them outside, or inside, but just generally active! Also, it’s for free, and you get a free racket which I think is very exciting, so, there’s no excuse not to get involved!”

Les Montgomery, Chief Executive, Highland Spring, adds: “Smashing targets on the Tennis for Kids initiative at this stage is a massive accomplishment – it means we can continue our work with the LTA to offer even more children the opportunity to pick up a racket, have some fun and adopt healthy hydration habits at the same time.”

At the heart of the initiative is a commitment to encourage and inspire young people and their parents to take part in a sport that is sociable, accessible and affordable and can also be enjoyed throughout their lifetime and through our partnership with Highland Spring, establish healthy hydration habits – all in a fun and relaxed environment. 

Watch the class of 2016 tell their stories of Tennis for Kids.

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