Representatives from 12 Premier League and Football League clubs took to the courts today at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton for the first ever Premier League 4 Sport (PL4S) National Tennis competition. The competition is the highlight of the tennis and football partnership which to date has engaged over 1,000 young people in tennis in less than a year.
After a number of increasingly tense games, Stoke City and Wigan were crowned joint winners. They were presented with their winners' trophy by British No. 3 James Ward and former England international Graeme Le Saux. The teams then headed off to Wimbledon to take in an afternoon of tennis.
Tennis joined the PL4S programme in September 2013 and is currently one of 12 sports on offer. PL4S has three main objectives:
- to provide chances for young people to take part in sport outside school hours
- to increase the diversity of sport
- to improve the infrastructure and supporting links between schools and clubs.
Speaking at the event, LTA Strategic Project Manager Claire Webb said: “We are pleased to be working with 15 Premier League and Football League Clubs as this a fantastic opportunity for us to work in partnership to get more people playing tennis more often. Twelve of the teams had a great day today battling it out on the court for the right to be crowned the Premier League 4 Sport National Tennis champion.”
Simon Morgan, Premier League Head of Community Development commented: “Professional football clubs have the ability to engage and inspire young people from all walks of life in a wide range of ways. This partnership with Sport England, the Tennis Foundation and the LTA is using this ability to encourage youngsters to take up tennis and with over 1,000 participants already involved, it is clearly working.”
For more information on the event, and the Premier League 4 Sport scheme, visit the Premier League site