AFC Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust recently delivered its first Tennis Activators course at Ringwood School over the festive period.
Working alongside the Dorset LTA, the Trust were able to run the course successfully and have now added Tennis to the schools programme that they deliver across the county in over 90 sessions to more than 2400 children on a weekly basis.
The Tennis activators course itself is designed to get coaches from other sports involved in tennis and to gain a basic understanding of how to deliver tennis in a community environment.
Despite many of the sessions in the Trust’s programme being football-based, courses like Tennis Activators mean that their staff are qualified in a variety of other sports which adds diversity to the programme and allows them to deliver multi-sports sessions alongside the current format.
The Trust has grown at a remarkable rate since it was formed in 2007 and now delivers sessions in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and more recently it has expanded across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.
A variety of sessions are delivered on the Trust’s programme, with four main themes at the centre of focus; Sports Participation, Health and Well-Being, Education and Social Inclusion.
In 2008, the Trust gained Charitable Status (charity number: 1122693) and is a self-funding, non-profitable organisation. All donations and funding are committed to the continued growth and development of the Trust and its endeavours.
After the Tennis Activators course, Head of the Community Sports Trust Steve Cuss said: “The Activators Tennis Course was very enjoyable and informative for all the staff. We are looking forward to taking tennis into the local schools alongside what we currently offer”.
For more information please visit www.afcbcst.co.uk or www.lta.org.uk
By Harry Lund