Roger Draper, the Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), visited St Austell Tennis Club, St Agnes tennis Club, Esporta Devonshire in Plymouth and the South Devon Tennis Centre, Ivybridge to see firsthand just how local clubs are helping to grow the game at all levels.
Speaking at St Austell Tennis Club, Roger Draper said:
“It was fantastic to see how all the clubs I visited are committed to ensuring that as many people as possible have the opportunity to get involved in tennis which is central to our vision for British tennis. It’s great to see these clubs at the sporting heart of the local community thanks to the hard work of the members and committee.
They’re all doing a fantastic job of getting more kids competing, and more adults playing tennis, and they deserve every success.”
The visit, organised by Devon LTA and Cornwall LTA also saw Roger Draper meet some of the many players, coaches and volunteers who are the lifeblood of the sport. The venues showed off their facilities whilst Draper also attended a mini tennis tournament at Ivybridge Tennis Centre at the weekend.
The LTA can now point to some real improvements in grass roots tennis in Devon and Cornwall. 17 clubs have achieved ClubMark status with more currently working towards the prestigious accolade. There are currently 95 clubs with 9,209 affiliated club members with the number of regularly competing juniors on the rise. The LTA’s AEGON Parks programme which is being rolled out plans to create a number of ‘beacon’ sites whilst significant LTA facility investment is enabling more people to pick up a racket. In addition, juniors in the region have been receiving taster sessions through AEGON Schools Tennis during the last 12 months.
Jo-Anne Downing, LTA Tennis Development Manager for Devon and Cornwall said:
“We were delighted that Roger Draper came and spent the day visiting our clubs to show him the great progress that is being made. The future of Devon and Cornwall tennis looks positive but we understand there is some way to go. We’ve got some good coaches and some good clubs and we are making a real contribution to British tennis. Clubs like St Agnes, Ivybridge and Esporta Plymouth are all helping to ensure that British tennis is moving in the right direction and that’s exactly the kind of thing we’re working hard to see more of.”
