5,000 extra places added to Tennis For Kids initiative

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has announced that an additional 5,000 places have been made available for their biggest ever grass roots initiative, Tennis for Kids in partnership with Highland Spring. The initiative was launched to establish a genuine tennis participation legacy, following Great Britain’s historic Davis Cup by BNP Paribas win.

The Tennis for Kids initiative which initially aimed to inspire 10,000 children aged 5-8 to pick up a racket and play tennis for the first time has had such a positive uptake, with all 10,000 spaces filled in under a week, that an extra 5,000 places have now been made available. 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.

Tennis for Kids is looking to establish greater accessibility into tennis, with a view to creating a new generation of tennis loving children. Furthermore, the courses are designed to focus on fun, flexibility and getting active and through our partnership with Highland Spring establish healthy hydration habits – all in a relaxed enjoyable environment with parents encouraged to join for the final session.

The initiative will continue to offer a free six-week course led by specially trained coaches, and free rackets will be given away to children who complete their course. To get involved in Tennis for Kids, parents can simply sign their kids up at their closest venue at: www.lta.org.uk/tennisforkids

Michael Downey, LTA Chief Executive, comments: “We are delighted to see how popular Tennis for Kids has been and how quickly the courses have filled up. At the LTA we want to ensure we are maximising opportunities for the younger generations to play tennis, which is why it was so important to us to increase the number of places available. We look forward to seeing more parents across the country sign their kids up and get involved in a sport that they can continue to enjoy throughout their lives.”

Annabel Croft, Former British No.1, comments: “I’ve been working closely with the LTA on this initiative and am so thrilled that it’s received such a brilliant result across the country, and even more, that we can offer more kids to get in on the action. As someone who has played tennis since I was a child, I know first-hand how brilliant the sport is, whether you choose to play competitively or socially – it’s something you can continue to enjoy throughout your life.”

Les Montgomery, Chief Executive, Highland Spring, adds: “We’re passionate about encouraging families to get active and adopt healthy hydration habits, so it’s fantastic to see such a positive response to the Tennis for Kids initiative. There’s clearly an appetite amongst parents and their children to pick up a racket and have some fun! Making additional places available due to popular demand means we have the exciting opportunity to introduce 15,000 children to the game over the coming months.”

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.

To find out further information about Tennis for Kids in partnership with Highland Spring and the Davis Cup Legacy visit: www.lta.org.uk/daviscuplegacy

Furthermore visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mClVf37v52w to watch the Aegon Great Britain Davis Cup team talking about the initiative and their childhood experiences.