Tennis charities to receive financial aid from Tennis Foundation following LTA’s COVID-19 support for tennis in Britain
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Over £100,000 in Tennis Foundation charitable funds is to be provided to a group of tennis charities, complementing the LTA’s overall support for tennis in Britain to help those who have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding recognises the crucial role charities play in the delivery of tennis in Britain, each in their own unique way. It also reflects an understanding of the difficult position charities are in at the moment, and the particular challenges that this year has created for them and the people they support.
A total of 13 tennis charities will be provided with grant funding from the Tennis Foundation of between £5,000 and £10,000 each. The charities collectively cover a wide remit of activity across the country, including work with disadvantaged communities, ethnically diverse communities and disabled people, with the following charities receiving support:
- All Star Youth Tennis Scholarship Trust
- Bright Ideas for Tennis
- Dan Maskell Tennis Trust
- Framlingham Tennis Tournament
- Give It Your Max
- IC Philanthropy Foundation
- Judy Murray Foundation
- Queen’s Club Foundation
- Rackets Cubed
- Richard Darton Tennis Foundation
- Tennis First
- Tennis for Free
- Tim Henman Foundation
Find Out More
Click on the charity names above to visit their website, or find out more about the charities and how they plan to use the funds below.
Much of the work done by the charities aligns with the LTA’s and Tennis Foundation’s shared vision to open tennis up to new audiences, and their drive to break down barriers and change perceptions so that tennis in Britain is truly seen as a sport for all, wherever you live, whatever your background and no matter your ability or disability.
'Supporting a wide range of wonderful tennis charities'
Tim Lawler, Tennis Foundation Chair, said: “We are really pleased to be able to add our support to the LTA’s efforts to help those involved in our sport who have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic by making these charitable funds held by the Tennis Foundation available to such a range of wonderful charities at this time of need.
“It is hard to underestimate the individual and collective contribution they make to the lives of people across the country, and to our sport more broadly. Our evolving strategy for the Tennis Foundation is very much focused on supporting activity for disadvantaged communities, ethnically diverse communities and disabled people, groups that are very much at the heart of what these charities do. We therefore want to do all we can to ensure they emerge from this period able to continue to do their valuable work, and are in a position to play their part in contributing to the vision we and the LTA have for tennis in Britain to grow the sport in the coming years.”
The provision of charitable funds by the Tennis Foundation to tennis charities follows on from the LTA’s wider support for those involved in the sport. Earlier this year the governing body committed to delivering a significant and comprehensive support package of financial and non-financial measures, designed to ensure clubs and venues remain viable and players, coaches and officials are not lost to our sport.
'Recognition of the vital contribution that these charities each make to our sport'
Scott Lloyd, LTA CEO, said: “Like all sport, tennis in Britain, has been severely impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The LTA itself has been impacted too, and we know that many involved in the sport have been and continue to be concerned about their futures and are facing real challenges.
“It is great to be working collaboratively with the Tennis Foundation and its Trustees so that this crucial support is provided to charities as a further strand of our overall support measures for tennis in Britain, and in recognition of the vital contribution that these charities each make to our sport. For these charities to continue to operate and thrive is essential if we are to realise the ambitions we have to grow our sport in 2021 and beyond.”
This funding will go a long way to ensuring we can collectively continue to open up our sport and its benefits to new people who may not otherwise have had access to it
Judy Murray, a trustee of the Judy Murray Foundation (BOLD), said: “This is a fantastic initiative from the Tennis Foundation at a time of real need for charities, and we are hugely grateful to both them and the LTA for their support of it. Tennis charities deliver some wonderful work all across Britain – alongside everything the Judy Murray Foundation does, I have been lucky enough to witness the tremendous efforts of many of the other charities that will benefit from this funding, and so I know it will go a long way to ensuring we can collectively continue to open up our sport and its benefits to new people who may not otherwise have had access to it.”
Following the integration of its previous activities into the LTA at the end of 2018, the Tennis Foundation is an independent charity operating as a grant giving entity, under the direction of a newly appointed board of trustees. The charities selected to receive grants as part of this support to combat the impact of the coronavirus are a reflection of its evolving strategy, being developed in line with its shared vision with the LTA to open tennis in Britain up to new audiences.
About the charities and how the funds will be used
All Star Youth Tennis Scholarship Trust
Based in Wandsworth, ASYTST provides opportunities and support to local children, who do not have the financial means, to participate in the sport of tennis. The grant will be used to:
- To start a new breakfast club with a local school
- To support another child through the high performance program
- To support the development program
- The majority of children supported in the performance coaching program are from BAME groups.
Website: allstartennis.co.uk/tennistrust
Bright Ideas for Tennis
Grant will be used to expand the existing disability tennis programme, ‘I Play 30’ which delivers free tennis to children and adults in partnership with tennis venues, coaches and SEN schools. The charity supports coaches with mental health and disability training, provides venues with an equipment pack, and works hand in hand with the venue to sustain the programme.
Website: brightideasfortennis.org
Dan Maskell Tennis Trust
The funds will be used to support the Trust’s grant aid programme, to ensure the charity can maintain its level of support to people with a disability who play tennis. The charity provides support in the form of grants to individuals and organisations, for specialist wheelchairs, tennis equipment and funding towards expenses such as coaching and court hire. The charity partners with clubs, disability groups and national organisations to promote their programmes and identify those who need support.
Website: danmaskelltennistrust.org.uk
Framlingham Tennis Tournament
FTT is a long running Grade 3 LTA sanctioned annual tennis tournament held in Suffolk. FTT has recently launched a new 5 year plan which aims to increase the attractiveness of the event to all players, families, supporters and all those who love to play tennis. The grant will enable FTT to bring forward plans to increase the diversity of all those involved including entrants, spectators, volunteers and the committee. The grant will also help to engage with more players from lower socio-economic groups by helping to appropriately subsidise the various costs of playing.
Website: framlinghamtennis.co.uk
Give It Your Max
The grant will go towards operational costs to deliver programmes, which provide primary school kids from schools with a pupil premium percentage of over 35% the opportunity to try tennis for social, physical and cognitive skill development. During lockdown and the inability to access kids directly, the charity delivered online exercise classes and have produced online lessons to complete at home and in school.
Website: giveityourmax.org
IC Philanthropy Foundation
IC Philanthropy's main purpose is to teach tennis to disadvantaged children and disabled young people. Tennis is used as a means of teaching life skills and provides the mental and physical benefits to kids. The grant will be used towards one of the largest projects in Birmingham, co-sponsored with Give it Your Max and run in conjunction with Edgbaston Priory Tennis Club. ICP funding helps provide equipment and supports coaching to predominantly disadvantaged children and disabled youth in Birmingham.
Website: icphilanthropy.ictennis.net
Judy Murray Foundation
The Judy Murray Foundation will use the grant in a number of ways:
- Turn two programmes into online resources; Starter Tennis and How to Run Fun Competitions webinar workshops
- Through partnerships identify and support participants who want to learn how to deliver or play starter coaching and competition in their local community
- Follow up the online workshops with practical 'on the job training' workshops, engaging with children, young people, families, women and girls
- Take tennis into areas where it either doesn’t exist or has limited activity, targeting mainly rural and disadvantaged communities and building workforces within the local community to ensure tennis is affordable and accessible to all
Queen’s Club Foundation
The Queen’s Club Foundation is committed to providing opportunities for young people to access tennis in Hammersmith and Fulham, generally ages 5 – 11, many from minority ethnic groups. When COVID-19 restrictions allow, the grant will be used to:
- Continue and expand The Queen’s Club Foundation’s Tennis Community Club
- Support disability tennis day/s
- Support individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Work with local organisations to support a new housing estates tennis project
Website: queensclubfoundation.co.uk
Rackets Cubed
The funding will be sure to support the delivery of programmes which combine tennis, education and nutrition over six months across five cities,. The target is young people aged 7 – 11 who are identified as vulnerable, selected by partner schools. If COVID-19 continues, the grant will support the ‘Recovery’ programme, which is delivered within the school rather than out of school as with the core programme.
Website: racketscubed.com
Richard Darton Tennis Foundation
RDTF provide tennis coaching for people with a disability as well as those from low socio-economic backgrounds in Cambridgeshire. The RDTF works with Cambridgeshire County Council who identifies the best recipients of coaching. The grant will help RDTF fund CCC to provide tennis coaching across the county to people who would otherwise most likely be excluded from the sport. The RDTF hopes to expand beyond Cambridgeshire in the future.
Website: rdtf.co.uk
Tennis First
The funding will be used as top up support for grantees from financially disadvantaged families. Families are asked to complete a financial statement whereby disadvantaged families are identified. Individuals from these families can be supported (30% in the current year) if they have the attributes required and are dedicated to fulfilling their potential of reaching a senior world ranking of 250 and better.
Website: tennisfirst.org.uk
Tennis for Free
Tennis for Free runs inclusive mass participation tennis programmes across community parks for kids and adults, delivered by qualified coaches and supported by volunteers. The grant will go towards operational costs including programme costs such as coaching fees and marketing. TFF works in partnership with local councils and wellbeing groups to help promote sessions, especially to those from deprived areas who otherwise may not have the opportunity to play the game.
Website: tennisforfree.com
Tim Henman Foundation
The funding will help the Tim Henman Foundation launch a new programme linked to a Multi Academy Trust with in excess of 1,500 students on Pupil Premium. The programme would follow the Club, School and Parks model that has already been established in West Yorkshire and the Midlands highly successfully. Working closely with partners and a local club, a coach is funded to deliver the core programme offer into schools. "One life One Opportunity” programmes are delivered to students in areas of high deprivation to learn and play tennis, and teachers are provided CPD training.
Website: henmanfoundation.org
