LTA Launch Grassroots Tennis Review
The LTA today announced a review into how grassroots tennis
is delivered in Britain. Sue Mappin, former LTA National Women’s
Team Manager and currently Director of the Cliff Richard Tennis
Foundation has agreed to take the lead on this.
The review will see a wide-ranging consultation programme
taking place across the country that will involve Government,
local authorities, schools and the commercial sector. Following
the success of the Football Foundation and the newly created
Cricket Foundation, the review has also been tasked with looking
at how to attract greater commercial interest into grassroots
tennis. This will be followed by a set of detailed recommendations
on how grassroots tennis should be supported and structured
in the future.
Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the LTA said:
“Sue’s experience and understanding of the whole
spectrum of tennis will bring a huge amount to this review
and we are delighted that she has accepted the role. Our new
strategy is to be more focussed on core activities. For too
long grassroots tennis has seen a multitude of programmes
and initiatives. This has caused confusion and ultimately
affected how we deliver on the ground. The review will hopefully
unravel this and help us set a new direction.”
Sue Mappin said: “I am delighted to
have been offered this challenge to review how we presently
organise, run and support grassroots and community tennis
in this country. Our first task will be to speak to all the
people currently involved in tennis and get their views on
how things can be simplified and improved. Many of the schemes
currently operating have seen some excellent results and we
are keen to learn from those templates. Once we have a clear
picture of what is in place, our most important task is to
create a simplified and efficient system that gets more people
of all ages out there playing tennis.”
The review will start during Wimbledon and run through to
October when the group will report back to the LTA board.
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