50 Children in Barry between the ages of 5-8yrs will be receiving 6 weeks of free professional tennis coaching and a Free tennis racquet courtesy of the British Tennis initiative Tennis for Kids. Launched last year as part of the Davis Cup Legacy to ensure we have a new generation of tennis players coming through to continue the recent successes of British players, Barry Community Tennis Club were awarded 3 courses in 2016 and introduced 30 children to the sport via the programme. In 2017, the club has been awarded 5 courses, all of which were quickly fully booked, and the first lesson of each course started this week and will culminate with a collective celebration on 27th May, when all 5 groups will come together on court with their families to receive their certificates and free racquets.
The courses are intended for children who are completely new to tennis or have very little experience of the sport, and coaches delivering the courses must have attended a training course mentored by some of Britain’s top tennis players. BarryCTC’s coaches Penny Mickelsen and Tom Butler-Sainsbury attended their training course at the National Tennis Centre in London, where Alfie Hewett (Wimbledon Wheelchair Men’s Doubles Champion), Jonny Marray (Wimbledon Doubles Champion) and Colin Fleming (Tennis Scotland National Coach) were mentoring the coaches, so this initiative is not only a great opportunity for youngsters, it is also hugely motivational and professionally rewarding for the coaches delivering the courses.
In addition to the on court skills development, the children receive sticker rewards and take-home sheets to continue practising their skills with family and friends, plus quizzes to find out more about British and International Tennis.
Although the courses are now fully booked, the club offers a wide range of opportunities to get involved with tennis, for all ages and levels of experience, including Tots tennis, mini tennis, junior tennis, Girls-only sessions, Ladies coaching, TennisXpress for adult beginners, CardioTennis, social tennis, and much more.