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           How Tennis & Children Started

Coach Gary Stanford had been working for Surrey LTA and the Chris Lane Tennis Centre. In 1999 these two roles came to an end and Gary found himself looking for work. A local club was approached with the aim of implementing his ideas of a unique junior coaching program. The club did not want to commit to these ideas so Gary decided to set up his own tennis program. In the first year it was all about survival, fortunately for him he had some friends who allowed him to lodge with them rent free, allowing him to make a go of this new business. Gary proceeded to visit local state schools for free to advertise his new tennis courses. Local schools and leisure centres had been approached for the hiring of tennis courts.  After the first year Tennis & Children was teaching about 45 children a week. Today we are teaching on average 130 children a week.

THE PLAN 

Working for clubs was often so limiting as some committee members of clubs were unprofessional in their approach to tennis and unwilling to give up any control they had. The children that came to tennis clubs were usually those that could already play a little, Gary's aim was to bring the younger children to tennis and especially those in state schools. For many children and parents, tennis does not enter their minds unless Wimbledon is on, football being the dominant sport in the U.K. As the saying goes 'only posh people play tennis'. Thankfully this has changed over the years, but still there is a long way to go.

WHY CHOOSE TENNIS

It is unfortunate that so few children take up the game as it is one of the few hobbies they can play all their life, just for fun or on a more serious level, and a very social game. Boys and girls can play together, young against old, good against bad, indoors or outdoors, and all you need is one other person to play with, if not then a wall will do. Tennis is a very challenging game, helping children with confidence, and an ability to improve their learning capacity as tennis requires high technical skills and coordination. You can go to most towns in the country find a club and make friends. Tennis is a non contact sport and can be played even if you are not quick runner or very fit. You tend to find that usually only the most sporty children take up sports, you don't have to be sporty to play tennis, it can be played at a pace and level that's suited to you. This game can help give your child a positive focus,  especially helpful during those teenage years. 

WHY MORE CHILDREN DON'T PLAY TENNIS

 When Gary was Surrey LTA Coach & Selector the majority of children that played for Surrey were from private schools. It could be argued that these families may of had more money and so could afford tennis lessons, that may well be a factor when pursuing tennis on a serious level, as most people can afford group lessons. Tennis is and will probably always be a little more expensive than other sports. However we have signed children up for courses who are on lower incomes. In addition to this over 90% of our children are from state schools in the area.  Tennis has grown in popularity over the years. In the 80's few clubs had children taking coaching or many offering coaching. That has changed dramatically, many clubs have more than one coach and a program for kids. For tennis to develop more it has to go into state schools. Once a year we offer our services for free to state schools in the Woking area in order to find talent and to encourage children to take up lessons. In addition to this  the national obsession and over teaching of football to children at a young age has to change, as many sports including tennis lose many children because of this. Another point to consider is that tennis is a game that needs a higher level of co-ordination and technique compared to other sports. Your improvement is also linked to who you are playing with, you need a partner who can get  the ball back over the net, so you can rally i.e. play tennis. With the design of specialised tennis balls for younger children, smaller courts, and our unique teaching and rallying system, it has been our constant experience to see many uncoordinated children enjoy learning and playing this wonderful game.