Anyone for Tennis? If you live in North Yorkshire we really do mean anyone, as the thriving York Disability Tennis Network offers tennis for all ages, all abilities and all disabilities through the Tennis Foundations disability tennis grassroots programme. Local coaches Andy Crockett & Jill King formed the group in April 2014 and can now add Special Olympics GB gold medallists to their list of achievements.
The not for profit group provides specialist inclusive tennis sessions for players who have a visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability or learning disability across York.
‘For us no barrier is insurmountable’ explained Level 3 Tennis Coach, Andy Crockett. ‘We really do cater for anyone. Any perceived barriers will be knocked down and overcome!’.
Sessions run year round all across York in many schools as well as David Lloyd, Rowntree Park and Wigginton Tennis Club.
The network now boasts around 70 active tennis players along with many success stories to boot, the most recent coming from the Special Olympics GB which was held in Sheffield last month. The Special Olympics is the largest sporting event in the UK for people with learning disabilities. The team of 6 representing Yorkshire & Humberside brought 8 medals back up the M1 with them - 6 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze in the singles and doubles events. 18 year old William Farrow, who has Downs Syndrome and 26 year old Laura Campbell, who has autism, both won gold in the singles. Cameron Long took silver whilst Matthew Brough brought home a bronze in the singles. The gold rush continued in the doubles with William & Cameron winning the men’s event and Laura & Matthew triumphing in the mixed.
‘The players have been courting the local media in York ever since!’ said Andy. ‘We cheekily challenged the presenters from Radio York to a match against our Special Olympics team – we thrashed them but they were good sports!’.
For Andy, the Special Olympics were a memorable experience and he hopes that some of the players may have the opportunity go to the world games in Abu Dhabi in March next year.
‘Day to day it is just so rewarding showing people what is possible’ said Andy. ‘Recently we had a 7 year old boy with very little movement attend one of our mainstream sessions. We just get an extra volunteer in to help and adapt the activities for him as we go along. He just loves being included’.
Andy’s specialism in disability tennis started by chance after he attended a Visually Impaired tennis training course in Leeds run by the Tennis Foundation.
‘I really enjoyed the course and felt like I had the patience and skills to be good at working with disabled players’ explained Andy.
From there Andy also gained qualifications in wheelchair tennis, learning disability tennis and deaf tennis. Andy’s role has taken him abroad to the International Blind Tennis Congress in Texas and was also a member of the National Visually Impaired Advisory Committee which aims to promote and grow the game.
‘I am even starting to learn a bit of sign language now too!’ said Andy.
York Disability Tennis Network was recognised as Club of the Year and Andy won Coach of the Year at the Yorkshire Disability Sport Awards in Leeds in March 2016. ‘What is really needed now to help disability tennis continue to grow is more coaches who are passionate about the sport and have the skills needed to work with disabled people’ explained Andy. ‘Some of the players themselves are starting to take their qualifications. Laura Campbell, who won gold is Sheffield is now a Level 1 and hopes to become a Level 2 in the future’.
Anyone who is interested in getting involved with the York Disability Tennis Network can find more information on their website www.ydtn.org.uk. For more information about disability tennis in the UK and the work of the Tennis Foundation visit www.tennisfoundation.org.uk.