Another successful year for the Schools Tennis Roadshow
The 2011 Schools Tennis Roadshow was hailed a success by participants from across the country after the tour reached its final destination in Roehampton at the end of March.
From Plymouth to Dundee the Schools Tennis Roadshow, part of the AEGON Schools Programme at the Tennis Foundation, travelled to 16 venues across the country starting in Bolton on Monday 28th February and ending at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on Friday 25th March.
Out of 803 attendees, 100% rated the Roadshow as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ with 99.4% of them stating the Roadshow inspired them to develop tennis further.
The annual Roadshow is designed to provide an overview of all the resources and support available to schools, as well as offering practical ideas for delivering tennis in an education environment.
Partnership Development Managers, School Sports Coordinators and PE teachers all came along to find out more from the Schools Team headed up by Tom Gibbins, Education Manager at the Tennis Foundation.
School Sports Coordinator Darren Handley attended the Roadshow in Bolton to find out how he could develop tennis in schools throughout his area.
“I came along to the Roadshow to find out how I can spread tennis across the borough of Bury. I found the resources available and the coaching and tutor breakdowns really useful. We want to develop tennis further in our primary schools and then introduce it more into the secondary schools,” he said.
Tennis coach Richard Wilson attended the session in Leicester as he looked to expand his club’s links with local schools. “These school-club links are vital to us. We see working with schools as our main priority and one of the best ways of generating new players for our club.”
47% of schools in England have a link with a local place to play tennis.
More information on school-club links
While Schools Sports Coordinator Sue Archibald was looking for ideas to help make the delivery of tennis more interesting. “I wanted to attend the Road Show to get some more ideas as I work across both primary and secondary schools. The session on cardio tennis was really great and is something we’ve never done before. “
A number of special guests attended the Road Shows including Judy Murray and Tennis Foundation Trustee and former wheelchair tennis player Jayant Mistry.
Also in attendance was the Foundation’s new Executive Director Geoff Newton, who had his first taste of the Roadshow experience:
“It was great to go along to one of the Roadshows in my first full week in post and see how well the sessions were received by everyone taking part. From the Active Schools staff to the PE teachers, everyone got involved and could see first-hand how useful the resources really are in developing tennis in schools,” he said.
The resources showcased included those for primary, secondary and special schools.
Find out more about these resources and schools tennis.
You can win a suite of AEGON Schools Tennis resources by entering our competition on our Win! page
Look back at the 2011 Road Show 'As it Happened'
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