WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAMME?

• To build a team and a bond between players, parents and captains and install an honour and desire in playing in a County Team
• In the 8’s, 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, 12’s, 14’s and 18’s, to have the best team possible representing the county
• In the 8’s, 9’s and 10’s, a maximum of two younger players can train and play up a year group as long as they have a realistic chance of being selected for the county team
• To provide regular opportunities for Warwickshire players to train and compete with one another (approximately once a month)
• To assist the development of players aged 5-18 and make them aware of future tennis pathways. (Such as 9&U ;10 Regional camps, 11-14 player pathway and coach development)
• To retain more young players in regular training and competition through to age 18
• To assist parents with the information that a “Tennis Parent” requires. This will be through annual meetings with the Warwickshire County Cup Coordinator.
• For all the parents of players taking part in the 9U age groups, they will have to attend a mandatory “Parenting in Tennis Course”
• All participants in the County Cup Training Programme are entitled to purchase subsidised County Clothing

WHO’S IT FOR?

• For players aged 10 and under, the programme is for nearly all Warwickshire players who have started to compete and do well
• For players aged 11-18, the programme is for the stronger players who may be likely to represent Warwickshire Teams in the County Cup events

WHAT WILL THIS PROGRAMME BE LIKE?

• There will be high intensity, fun squad training on a monthly basis – the cost of which will be subsidised by the WLTA
• Players will get opportunities to represent their county as part of a county team
• County training will be delivered by local coaches who have specialised training and a track record of working with county performance players
• The programme will be supported by the LTA National Players Pathway and Regional Performance Team

HOW DO PLAYERS GET INVOLVED?

• To be considered for selection, players will need to be competing in LTA events and doing fairly well

COUNTY CUP TRAINING (CCT) SELECTION PROCESS

• In the 7’s and 8’s age groups, as long as players can rally and play points and attend the equivalent Fun Day, they will be invited to take part in the CCT programme
• In the 9’s and 10’s age groups, most players who are competing regularly will be offered a place in an A or B squad (selection will be based on their competition history)
• In the 11’s, 12’s and 14’s age groups, the top 10 ranked players will be offered a place in a squad as long as they have been engaging in the CCT program
• In the 18’s age groups, up to 16 players will be invited to take part in the CCT sessions (This will primarily be based on player rankings, but it may also include Warwickshire League players)
• The selection process takes place twice a year in mid-August and Jan/Feb (except in the 18’s)
• By making selections twice a year, this allows players to move up and down or in and out of squads
• If a player is ranked in the top 20 nationally, they are invited and encouraged to take part in CCT if they can, but they do not have to in order to be selected for the County Cup teams
• In the 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, 12’s and 14’s age groups, players are encouraged to do all 5 sessions, but they must sign up for a minimum of 4 out of the 5 sessions. They must also attend a minimum of 3 sessions in order to continue in the CCT program or be selected for the County Cup Teams (registers will be checked)
• In the 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, 12’s and 14’s age groups, players must attend both the Autumn/Winter and Winter/Spring set of sessions in order to be selected for the County Cup Teams. The only exceptions will be for new players who have recently moved up the rankings list
• In the 10’s, 11’s, 12’s and 14’s, a player that is likely to have a chance in being selected for the County Cup Teams in two age groups, they will be invited to the younger group for the first set of sessions and the older group for the second set of sessions
• All communications are either done by email, text, WhatsApp or by phone

COUNTY CUP TEAM SELECTION PROCESS

• All team selections will be made approximately 7 days before the player nominations open. This will allow time for players to confirm their places and for parents and captains to make any arrangements
• In the 8’s age groups, all selections will be made by the team captain and their assistant after discussions with the County Cup Coordinator
• In the 9’s and 10’s age groups, the top 3 players on recent form will be selected to play. The 4 th and 5 th players will be chosen at the discretion of the captain and assistant. (If a player outside of the top 5 are included, this will be discussed by the County Cup Administrator and the WLTA Junior Competitions organiser to make sure there are no bias in the selection) A 6 th and 7 th player will be selected as non- travelling reserves
• In the 11’s, 12’s and 14’s age groups, the top 3 ranked players will be selected to play. The 4 th and 5 th players will be chosen at the discretion of the captain and assistant. It is also suggested that a captain may want to discuss players strengths with the previous captain. (If a player outside of the top 5 are included, this will be discussed by the County Cup Administrator and the WLTA Junior committee member to make sure there are no bias in the selection) A 6 th and 7 th player will be selected as non-travelling reserves
• In the 18’s age group, the top 5ranked players will be selected to play. The 6 th , 7 th and 8 th players will be chosen at the discretion of the captain and assistant. (If a player outside of the top 8 are included, this will be discussed by the County Cup Administrator and the WLTA Junior Competitions organiser to make sure there are no bias in the selection) A 9 th and 10 th player will be selected as non-travelling reserves
• The purpose of allowing the captains/assistants picks for 2 or 3 places, is to give some flexibility around injuries, strength in playing doubles etc.
• In the 11’s, 12’s, 14’s and 18’s age groups, all players are to represent their current age group as a priority in order to have the strongest team possible. If a player has a ranking in an older age group that meets the selection criteria, they will be invited to play in that team also (any exceptions to this rule MUST be agreed with the County Cup Coordinator)
• All communications are either done by email, text, WhatsApp or by phone

Reviewed and updated on 4 th March 2024

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