Spreading the love of tennis across local parks in Southall
• 2 MINUTE READ
It wasn’t until recently that tennis became an option for many residents of Southall, thanks to the transformation of tennis courts in three local park courts through the LTA's Park Tennis Project.
A nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation is benefiting thousands of park tennis courts, bringing them back to life for local communities and opening up the sport to many more people.
£250k has been invested across 13 parks in Ealing which include all three used by Manjinder and the Let’s Go Southall team - Southall Park, Spikes Bridge Park and Wolf Fields Park - providing more opportunities for people to pick up a racket and get active.
Manjinder’s story
Manjinder Rooprai is a volunteer at Let’s Go Southall who has helped spread her love of tennis within her local community, to get more people playing on the newly transformed park tennis courts.
She got involved through Let’s Go Southall; a community organisation focused on helping to get the community more active. Let’s Go Southall were already working in the local area providing free activities to the community and encouraging them to enjoy exercise.
When approached about the potential to add tennis to their offering, Manjinder jumped at the opportunity to become a tennis activator and lead on the renovated courts. Manjinder is passionate about helping more people play tennis, “Being an activator gives me a sense of responsibility and allows me to share my love of sports. I love getting people involved and seeing their improvements.”
Southall at scale
Since adding tennis to their offering, Let’s Go Southall have seen huge demand for the sport. This has seen growth in their sessions across local parks, to ensure as many individuals can access the sport as possible.
Manjinder explains that this expansion has happened thanks to the investment into the facilities, and support from the LTA to increase visibility locally about opportunities to play.
Ultimately, the activators at Let’s Go Southall have a strong network within the local community, and human interactions and connections have been critical in engaging people with tennis. . Manjinder says, “it’s all about getting out in the community, building these relationships, listening and having a personal touch.”
Community impact
The tennis sessions have become a huge part of Let’s Go Southall’s overall provision, and they have seen huge growth in the number of participants. This has been made possible thanks to the transformation of local park tennis courts through an investment of over £30million across Great Britain by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation.
It’s great to see people reigniting their love for the sport, but also seeing some people’s newfound love for tennis. It really is a game everyone can enjoy
Manjinder says that people are getting fitter, and happier, and they’re loving being able to pick up a racket for the first time. Some people have never played before, while some used to play and are now able to revive their passion.
Sustaining the growing demand
Accommodating growing interest in tennis requires a network of dedicated activators to facilitate and deliver the Barclays Free Park Tennis sessions in Southall.
Manjinder recalls that since becoming an activator herself, she has seen more and more people want to get involved in helping to run sessions. In addition to getting out and speaking directly to the community, this growth has been fuelled by a strong promotional campaign across social media.
But a large part of recruiting activators has been showing how rewarding it can be. Manjinder said, “People have seen the impact sessions have had on the community and they naturally want to be part of that and want to inspire the people within their community to get active.”
To get involved and find out more about becoming a Barclays Free Park Tennis Activator, click on the link below:
