Over the past four years British tennis has teamed up with one of the country's leading charities, The Prince's Trust, to deliver The Prince's Trust xl Tennis Partnership which helps young people who need it most.
The Prince's Trust xl programme helps young people - at risk of underachievement or exclusion. Prince's Trust xl clubs operate within schools, pupil referral units, youth offending institutes, and youth clubs with up to 15 members. Young people meet for at least three hours a week and, guided by an Adviser, work together on a variety of activities and projects to develop skills vital for further education and work.
This partnership focuses on tennis sessions and related activities to enable young people on the xl programme to develop skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership, as well as contributing to the core xl qualification. Over the last four years the Lawn Tennis Association has donated £40,000 and supported over 300 young people through the xl programme Tennis Partnership.
Gosling International High Performance Tennis Centre and Tipton Tennis Centre in the West Midlands supported 5 Prince's Trust xl Clubs with sessions at schools, and coaching and tournaments at the tennis centres. The young people were also able to keep the tennis equipment provided as part of the partnership.
Another core feature of the programme is progression. Each young person will have access to progression support to identify opportunities to help sustain their motivation and engagement in tennis once they complete the xl programme.
Joshua Darby, a young person from the Walsall Academy Prince's Trust xl club, participated in the six week tennis programme funded by British tennis.
Joshua said, "I really enjoyed learning new shots and improving my skills. I think I have become a better player and when I joined my tennis club I got a match straight away which was brilliant. I am going to keep playing so I can get even better."
"The Prince's Trust knows that the power of sport can help engage, motivate and develop the skills of young people and this very evident with our tennis partnership; we've consistently seen the difference it makes to the young people who take part. We are extremely pleased to continue this scheme with the support of both The Tennis Foundation and the LTA," said Ed Halliday, National Programme Manager, xl.
"The Tennis Foundation and LTA are delighted to work in partnership with The Prince's Trust. It's great to see tennis making a positive impact, not just in terms of sporting performance, but also on wider social outcomes, too. We're looking forward to continuing our work together over the years ahead," added the Tennis Foundation's Head of Education, Tom Gibbins.
The partnership is going to carry on into 2014 with The Prince's Trust working with the LTA and Tennis Foundation to continue the tennis programmes to support more young people.
Find out more about The Prince's Trust here.
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