Chris Howard is the face of Community Tennis at Ladywell Fields Programme and Lewisham Tennis which started from scratch in April 2013. Through working in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Lewisham council and Glendale parks services, Chris has introduced 260 new junior and adult players in just under 2 years who regularly play on the courts. Chris has created an inclusive and extensive community tennis programme on only 3 outdoor park courts with no lights and in a community centre sports hall.
The LTA Coaching team are “Extremely excited to celebrate the success Chris Howard has had over the past year. He has helped to give many children the opportunity to play tennis for free and to get more people playing tennis more often. He really is a true inspiration to other coaches working in the community”.
One of Chris' main achievements is offering free tennis coaching to over 640 primary and 260 secondary school children through initiating programmes from a number of funding bodies. A partnership with Sportivate has allowed cardio tennis to be delivered at lunchtime and after school clubs in 2 girls secondary schools and as a result a Satellite Tennis club now runs at Prendergast Hilly Fields.
Chris is motivated by “Giving kids the opportunity to play Tennis that wasn’t there before and seeing them develop and grow not only as players but as people”
Chris hasn’t only provided great tennis experiences for the general public, but has also helped to train up a number of keen young tennis players who want to work in the sport. He has accessed funding for several junior players to train as tennis coaches working in the community. Chris has encouraged these coaches to “create an enjoyable learning environment in their sessions and to have fun themselves” and to also to “be a role model to their players and to their colleagues”
Chris is a huge role model for coaches looking to expand into the community. He has helped to get more people playing the sport and provided tennis to thousands of people that may not have had the chance otherwise.
If you want to get involved and play tennis at Ladywell Fields visit www.southeastlondontennis.com or visit www.lta.org.uk and find out where you can pick up a racket and play today.