The Essex County Lawn Tennis Association (ECLTA) will be running a new mini tennis initiative, EPIC (Essex Pathway to International Competition), starting in January 2010; this will be similar to the Pathway to Tarbes initiative supported by the Hertfordshire county LTA office. This programme is aimed at bringing talented young mini players together to promote high quality training sessions for fast track players.
The boys programme will be running out of Clearview Health and Racquets Higher Satellite club. The girls programme will be running out of David Lloyd Basildon, Satellite Club. Dates and times of these sessions will be discussed at the Talent Attraction session.
There will be two talent attraction sessions each year, this year the age group invited to the talent attraction sessions will be for the age group 2003 and 2004 born children to be held at both clubs. Players chosen to join the scheme will play in two group sessions each week and would need to have one individual session with a qualified coach each week. Therefore each player invited will need to be playing minimally three times per week. There is a charge for the squad sessions, however these will be subsidised by the Satellite Clubs and additional sponsors that are supporting the programme (SMP Europe Ltd). Players that do not belong to either of these clubs are still welcome to join the scheme and remain with their individual coach at their own club.
This scheme will benefit young, potentially promising mini players that do not have access to other players that are as strong as them in their club programme. This scheme is not about players changing clubs or individual coaches, it is to promote squad training with players of the same ability to allow for fast progression and to supplement the programme that they already have. To be part of this scheme; players will need to attend the talent attraction sessions that will be held at the two clubs:
Girls: David Lloyd Club Basildon - 17th December 2009 from 4.30 – 6.30pm
Boys: Clearview - 13th December 2009 from 11am - 1pm
To register to attend please contact the county office on the following email: Kieron@essextennis.org.uk
Coaches in Essex are welcome to attend these talent attraction sessions and to help out with the training sessions at either club. Coaches that want to be part of this scheme should contact either the managers/head coach at either club: Kingsley Harris at Clearview for the EPIC boys’ initiative and Darren Rogers at David Lloyd Club Basildon for the EPIC girls’ initiative or Sarah Hylton, LTA Talent Performance Coordinator for Essex. Sarah Hylton
Talent Performance Coordinator Essex