Oaks Consultancy is a company that specialise in securing external funding for projects to increase sporting provision for the community. The Tennis Foundation hire the company to write bids on behalf of ‘Not for Profit’ organisations to fund tennis activity with chosen tennis centre’s.
Portsmouth Tennis Centre already had some good links with local schools after Ashley had set up assemblies and curriculum time tennis. To formalise this link we met with the school to offer the opportunity to write a bid for a tennis programme which would allow every one of their pupils to play tennis for 6 weeks with a competition at the end. The school have been very happy with their relationship with the centre and have had very positive feedback from the pupils and parents so jumped at the chance to form a formal link.
A package was written offering the 6 week tennis course, competitions, teacher training, equipment and marketing. The bid was then submitted and 2 months later came back that we had successfully secured £9,870 for the delivery of the project.
Since the bid came back we have delivered our first 6 week block with 45 pupils taking part at the centre. So far 15% of these have signed up to a direct debit coaching membership. Every player goes home with an invitation back to the centre after their 6 weeks. We have set big targets for this project with an aim to sign up 20% of all pupils that attend the centre.
Another 2 bids have now been submitted including a second primary school and a secondary school. The project will be very similar with the addition of Tennis Leaders courses for the secondary school.
Alongside the projects with the formal linking schools, the centre will become the home of College Tennis. This has started with touchtennis tasters at 3 local colleges, ending with a competition in December. The aim is to set up regular competitions and sessions at the centre.