“We’re trying to create an environment where girls can be authentic” – one year on from the launch of Prime Video LTA Youth Girls
• 4 MINUTE READ
Just over a year ago, we joined forces with Prime Video to launch a new coaching programme to inspire thousands of girls to pick up a racket and start playing tennis.
The partnership was born off the back of Prime Video reinvesting the funds received from the shared broadcast of Emma Raducanu’s historic US Open title into growing women’s tennis in Britain.
It was from there that Prime Video LTA Youth Girls was born. Prime Video LTA Youth Girls is our girls only beginner’s tennis course, encouraging the next generation of girls to start their journey playing and loving our sport.
Delivered by trained LTA coaches, the six-week introductory course is packed with games and exercises to build confidence and skills on court, all whilst having fun with friends.
In the short period since launching, the programme is already helping to contribute to rising numbers of girls playing tennis across Great Britain, with more and more coaches looking to address some of the barriers girls face when coming into a sport.
LTA Products & Programme Manager Jo-Anne Downing recently featured on the Leaders Podcast, alongside Senior Production Executive, Louise Goya-Perez to discuss the partnership so far, the impact the programme on girls’ tennis participation and the important role being played by our coaches network.
Since covid, participation has continued to grow and our latest figures show 42% of casual players are female.
“None of us expected Emma to win the US Open back in 2021,” Jo said, “but off the back of that that we (LTA and Prime Video) started having conversations about how we could make the most of it and create a legacy.”
“In the early days we discussed a lot of ideas and took our time to go through them. For us it was always about staying true to what our insight and research told us about girls playing tennis and where we should direct investment to make an impact.”
Louise added: “We broadcasted one of the most iconic events in British sporting history, so to have just left it there and not reinvested, would have been wrong.
“It was always important for us to drive and support programmes and initiatives like this that had a legacy beyond that moment.
“Initially we thought the answer would be to just build courts, but the LTA were best placed to advise the areas that are the biggest challenges that we weren’t able to see.”
While tennis is one of the leading sports when it comes to gender equality – we know there is still plenty to be done.
Prime Video LTA Youth Girls forms an important part of our wider She Rallies ambition to encourage more female involvement in tennis at all levels.
In the interview, Jo highlighted some of the barriers girls face before they even set foot on a tennis court and how the programme has been specifically designed to overcome these potential blockers.
“Since covid, participation has continued to grow and our latest figures show 42% of casual players are female,” Jo explained. “We would obviously like to see more progress but we’re certainly in a good place compared to other traditional sports.
“The barriers for girls are complex. Girls are turning up to tennis and they have this baggage, which comes from societal pressures and gender stereotypes.
“What it means to be sporty and what society tells us is it means to be a girl aren’t aligned with each other. If a girl decided she’s not sporty, that could stick with her for the rest of her life.
“What we’re trying to do is create an environment where girls can be authentic – whatever that means to them. They can come and be who they are with other girls.
“Alongside that, we have to give them some skills. There’s a lot going on in tennis and if girls don’t develop skills early on, are they going to want to keep coming back? If you can build some success, that increases confidence. The more confident you are, the more you’re going to want to keep coming back.”
We want to do more to build on it, keep the momentum going. Double the number of coaches, the number of girls on the courses and just double down on the current success.
So, one year on, what does the impact look like?
To date, the programme has seen over 4500 girls start to play tennis, with many then continuing to go on and play more in the future.
During that time, we’ve also trained 500 coaches to deliver Prime Video LTA Youth Girls sessions – creating the best environments to help girls thrive on the tennis court.
Looking back at the partnership to date and what’s still to come, the evidence is showing that the programme is delivering what we set out to achieve and there’s plenty more potential to grow.
“Amazon and Prime Video are very data-driven company, so success needed to be measurable,” Louise said.
“We’ve seen in the early stages that 50% of girls involved in the programme have booked onto another course and over 2000 girls have competed in and LTA Youth Team Challenge event.
“For us the proof is in the pudding. If the programme achieves what we set out, then it speaks for itself. Ultimately, it’s the success of getting girls into tennis for the wider community.
“We want to do more to build on it, keep the momentum going. Double the number of coaches, the number of girls on the courses and just double down on the current success.”
The barriers for girls are complex. Girls are turning up to tennis and they have this baggage, which comes from societal pressures and gender stereotypes.
Jo closed out the interview with a special thank you to the incredible coaches that have been part of the programme so far.
It’s because of their hard work and effort that the programme is already having an impact on giving more opportunities for girls to play tennis.
“They (our coaches) are so powerful in terms of how girls experience tennis and how they feel on court,” Jo said. “The coaches we have are fantastic – their passion, their commitment and their enthusiasm. This is not just coaches in big cities in huge indoor venues, it’s also coaches at small rural two court clubs – they are still getting 30, 40, 50 new girls into their programme.
“90% of the coaches, (that completed our survey) told us that their perception was that building confidence, sense of belonging, developing friendships and wanting to continue with coaching was much better in a girl only group than when compared to a mixed group.
“Coaches are one of our real success stories, but we want more so we can scale it up. Wouldn’t it be great if every venue across the country offered a girl-only programme, that would be the perfect future.”
Prime Video LTA Youth Girls
Learn more about more about the Prime Video LTA Youth programme and find your nearest course today.
