Fresh from my first visit to Wimbledon and motivated by the heroic performance of Heather Watson, I’ve spent the past month or so learning how to: apply top spin; crack a back-hand or in most cases cases simply return the ball over the net.
Wimbledon itself is a great sporting event and for many of us it epitomises tennis; glamorous, pricey and elite. It’s perceptions like these, whether based in fact or not, that are perhaps causing reals barriers to participation in the game.
A straw poll amongst my peers suggested that they perceive tennis as technically tricky, a bit pricey and not for them, even among the sporty types. Many had not played since school and fancied a game but thought club membership and expensive equipment were barriers to participation.
In 2013, Sport England put the Lawn Tennis Foundation in ‘special measures’ and warned its funded could be cut again unless it addressed a significant decline in participation figures.When the Whole Sport Plan was released in 2014, Phil Smith of Sport England noted that under new leadership “their attitude and approach has changed, their thinking and insight has changed. But at the moment they are still not delivering.”
Since then, in partnership with charities, clubs and commercial sponsors, the NGB has supported some noteworthy initiatives. Pop Up Tennis Clubs, delivered in partnership with StreetGames is the youth market offering and tennis Tuesdays and Cardio Tennis form a key part of their female participation strategy.
Tennis Tuesday bills itself as an opportunity for “meeting like-minded people and learning new skills in a relaxed environment. Its a a great way to showcase the fun that tennis can be.” Marketing is targeted specifically at women and much like the Back to Netball campaign it shows images of young women, having fun playing the game. The two key messages – have fun but don’t be afraid to be competitive really resonant with my latent sportiness. The Nike sponsorship adds a cool edge.
So how would I reflect on my tennis education? Well, I have to say I’ve experienced frustration and satisfaction in equal measure; frustration at my pitifully low skill level and satisfaction when one in every ten shot could be favourably described as decent. The jump for beginner to competent club player seem pretty steep at the moment and because of my low skill level, the workout I get from playing a game compared to working out of the gym is limited. But the sport itself does perhaps offer things which other sports and activities are unable to, particular for female participants – strategy, skill and speed. That is once I can consistently return the ball over the net.
