Get your child competing
Our junior tennis competitions are for kids of all ages and abilities – whether your child has just started playing or they want to reach the next level, we’re here to make sure they have fun competing on court.
So, if you want to find out how you can help your child start playing competitions, read our online, interactive guide that contains key information to help you support your child.
The guide covers:
- The benefits of playing in tennis competitions and the life skills your child can develop through competing
- Things to consider before your child starts competing
- What to expect at tennis competitions and how to positively support your child
- What happens after your child has played a competition
Click below to read "Ready, Play" - An online guide to competition for parents and carers
The best place to start is to ask their coach – they will be able to talk you through all the different types of competitions and which is the most appropriate for your child.
For kids, we have LTA Youth Compete events, which are a great way to introduce players to competitions at their local venue, with fun and exciting match formats, such as Team Challenge (fun team events for points and prizes), Matchplay (fast-paced singles and doubles matches against players of a similar level) and Local Tour (compete for ranking points in nearby tournaments).
Find out more about LTA Youth Compete
There are many other different types of competitions you can enter locally as well, such as box leagues and, club tournaments. Chat to your coach to find out more about what’s on offer at your venue.
If your kids want to take the next step in competing, they might be interested in playing in one of our graded tournaments.
Events are graded from 7-1, with Grade 7 being venue competitions and Grade 1 being national level. Find out more about competition grades.
To enter a competition your child will need an ITF World Tennis Number, which you can get by signing up them up to Advantage as either a Play, Play+ or Compete member.
What is the ITF World Tennis Number? It’s a real-time skill rating based on your previous match results to help competition organisers match you with players across Britain and the world of a similar standard. It can also be a big help in deciding what competition to enter to find the right level for you.
You’ll also need to check which competition age group your child falls into. Our helpful age group calculator will be able to tell you which events they can enter.
We understand how much support you give your child in any sport – whether they are playing in their first tournament or have been competing for years.
That’s why we’ve worked with leading Sports Psychology experts from Nottingham Trent and Oxford Brookes Universities to create a Parent Support Programme to help you ensure they have the best experience on court.
We also run a host of workshops to try and answer any questions you might have when it comes to tennis competitions.