Over 10,000 school children will receive a free tennis racket and ball set this summer thanks to two initiatives from the Tennis Foundation and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
Every pupil attending outreach activity at three LTA Major Events; the Aegon Trophy in Nottingham, the Aegon International in Eastbourne and the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, will be given a free mini tennis racket and ball set along with free British Tennis Membership.
On top of this, thousands of pupils participating in local mini tennis red schools competitions will also receive a free racket as a reward for taking part with the aim of inspiring them to play more tennis, more often.
As well as world-class tennis players, the Aegon International will also host the finals of the Road to Eastbourne LTA Mini Tennis Red schools competition at Devonshire Park, one of 49 county-wide finals taking place this summer.
Pupils attending the Aegon Classic at the newly redeveloped multi-million pound Edgbaston Priory Club will experience the Kids Zone which includes exciting skill activities and a 'speed of serve' machine. The event will also host the Warwickshire Special Schools county final.
Over 1,000 children have already benefitted from this after receiving their free giveaway at the National Mini Tennis Week activity at the Aegon Trophy and there will be further opportunities in the coming weeks.
These initiatives build on the comprehensive support and resource available to schools through the Aegon Schools Tennis programme delivered by the Tennis Foundation, in partnership with the LTA. More than 16,000 schools have been supported with free teacher training, resources and equipment since 2009 – well over half the schools across Great Britain.
The Tennis Foundation's Schools Tennis Manager Paul Williams said: "We are delighted to be offering free mini tennis rackets to school pupils to give more children the chance to play tennis, enjoy tennis and hopefully find a sport for life.
"We want to encourage pupils to play more tennis and play it more often in their communities and we are aiming to provide for around 10,000 children at our major events as well as reward those playing in local schools tennis competitions.
"It is an exciting opportunity for a whole new batch of youngsters to get the chance to play tennis and we are determined to continue to make tennis more accessible to more people."
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