Next week will see the launch of the Tennis Education Event 2014 organised by Stephanie Eadon, Head Coach at Boldon Lawn Tennis Club. This first of its kind event aims to give girls aged between 11 and 14 years old the opportunity to be trained as a Competition Organiser, become a ball girl in a match and speak to sporting organisations about funding and career pathways in tennis.
Joanna Cunliffe, Tennis Development Manager in the region (Lawn Tennis Association) is excited about getting more girls involved in sport, said “One of the British Tennis aims over the next 4 years is to grow women and girls participation. The North East has seen a number of key interventions and programmes introduced over the past 3 years linked to the All England Lawn Tennis Club's Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative. This has seen participation increase in a number of areas.
Stephanie Eadon approached the LTA about the Tennis Education event, which is a unique event that is going to showcase the huge range of pathways in tennis, including coaching, leading, volunteering, refereeing and playing to name a few. I am very excited about the programme to inspire more girls to get involved in the sport!”
The event will be held over two days. The first day is a Competition Organisers Day which will take place in each of the selected schools between 3rd and 13th March. The day will consist of 3 elements, starting with a ball girls training session, a Competition Organisers Course and concluding with an organised mini tennis competition.
The second day will be the Tennis Education Day held at Sunderland Tennis Centre on Friday 14th March. The morning session will showcase the number of opportunities regarding career pathways in tennis and how to access the information they need. This will be done through a series of workshops delivered by the Lawn Tennis Association, Tony Blair Sports Foundation, On Court Magazine and Boldon Lawn Tennis Club. During this time a tennis match between Durham University v Durham and Cleveland County Team will be taking place where the students will have the opportunity of putting their ball girl skills to the test. The afternoon session will give all students a taste of cardio tennis and compete in a organised mini tennis match play.
Tennis Education Event Organiser Stephanie Eadon said “I am delighted with the fantastic response I have had from the schools in the North East, who are keen for their students to take part in this unique event. The idea for the event came from personal frustration and experience as a young person struggling to find out how to access the right information about courses, funding and support that I needed when trying to pursue a career in sport”.
The Tony Blair Sports Foundation (TBSF) is also involved in the event. The TBSF not only part funded Stephanie Eadon through her Level 1 Tennis Assistant course but also gave Stephanie the opportunity of work based coaching and the experience she needed to get started in her coaching career. Jeanette Pickard, Chief Executive said “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Steph over the past 5 years and we’re immensely proud of what she has achieved. The initial financial support from the Foundation helped get Stephanie onto the coaching ladder but it’s what comes after that’s important. Offering ongoing help, support and advice is just as important. Stephanie is a great example of someone who from an early age, knew she wanted to work in sport but wasn’t sure how to go about it and that’s where organisations like the Foundation can help. Stephanie’s enthusiasm and commitment to coaching and her passion for sport has helped so many young people get involved in sport.”
Entries for the Tennis Education Event 2014 are now closed, however if you feel this is something your school would like to be involved with or a company who would like to support or sponsor the next Tennis Education Event please contact Stephanie Eadon via email: stephanie.eadon@yahoo.com
For more information on what tennis has to offer you go to:
Lawn Tennis Association – www.lta.org.uk/
Boldon Lawn Tennis Club – www.boldonlawntennisclub.co.uk/
Tony Blair Sports Foundation – www.tonyblairsportsfoundation.org/sports/
On Court Magazine - www.oncourtmagazine.co.uk/