By Meg Munn MP - 18th January 2012
Meg Munn MP calls on the government to concentrate on grassroots tennis and consider that a proportion of tennis' future funding goes directly to organisations.
Tennis is a sport open to all – played by children as soon as they can hold the racket, through to the older generation maintaining their agility, balance flexibility and strength. It can be enjoyed by two competing for victory, or by groups and families for leisure. It's flexible and it's fun.
Unfortunately despite this, the country suffers from low levels of participation. Sport England's Active People survey shows that tennis participation has fallen to 402,000 regular players. Shockingly, the number of tennis courts has declined from 33,000 to 10,000 in the last ten years.
However, a COMRES survey in September 2011 shows nearly half of people would be more likely to play tennis if facilities were free to use. The survey also found that 69 per cent of people think local facilities should be free, and a massive 84 per cent believe they need to be more accessible.
Tennis received a block grant of nearly £27m for 2009–2013, which is the fourth-largest of any sport, channelled to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). Significant work has been undertaken by them in the last 18 months on accelerating participation growth through park tennis sites, in schools and through their campaign ‘Allplay’, launched in summer 2011.
This work is important and welcome but I am sceptical that the LTA can achieve the surge in participation that we all want to see. It is often local people coming together and deciding to do something who achieve lasting involvement – for instance, a group of parents wanting to do something for their children, or a group of women who want to get together and get active while having fun. What stops people seeing tennis as the way to do that is the lack of courts and lack of equipment. Probably most difficult to overcome is the sense that tennis is elitist and not for them.
One organisation that has set out to change this is Tennis for Free. They work with schools, tennis clubs and local authorities to create tennis communities. They provide free equipment and a two-year free coaching programme by qualified coaches available to young people and adults of all ages, standards and ability. At the end of the two years, a 'Friends Community Group' is created to provide a free coaching programme with the same inclusive and welcoming ethos.
Community-based techniques have been shown to work. Tennis for Free’s approach offers value for money and is sustainable. They have had over 16,000 attendees at their coaching events over the last year and are now embarking on a programme of renewing and renovating courts. The great thing about this approach is that it is relatively cheap to set up, at around £15,000 for a two-year coaching programme. Tennis for Free’s success shows the potential for grassroots activity.
By concentrating on grassroots tennis, we increase the numbers of people finding it an enjoyable and worthwhile activity in its own right. I'll be asking the sports minister to look carefully at this and consider guaranteeing that a proportion of tennis' future funding goes directly to grassroots organisations such as Tennis for Free and not channel funds only through the National Governing Body.
Meg Munnhas been Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley since 2001.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd