1 November 2023 | Tennis Victoria

In May 2023 four Blind Tennis Ambassadors completed a Tennis Australia Foundation Coaching Course. The course was delivered by Tennis Victoria in collaboration with Blind Sport and Recreation Victoria, Tennis Australia’s Coach Development team and the Blind Tennis Ambassadors. 

The Foundation Coaching Course was supported by Sport and Recreation Victoria and was the result of a project aimed at providing opportunities for athletes with a disability to be involved in tennis in ways outside of playing, such as being an official, a coach, a volunteer, an administrator, or a ball kid.

Jon Watson, Coach Leader at Tennis Victoria delivered the course. “We’re really proud here at Tennis Victoria that the four Ambassadors who took part in the Foundation Course are the first legally blind trainee coach members in Australia.”

“Our hope for the ambassadors are that they are able to go out into the community and promote Blind Tennis and the skills that they learnt through the Foundation Course will hopefully assist them to run some of those on court activities.”

Maurice Gleeson, President and CEO of Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria, believes the program is extremely beneficial for participants to expand their skills within the sport.

“It’s an extremely valuable one because these people who are promoting Blind Tennis they have people skills, they’re professional and more importantly, they’re passionate about the sport.

Jason Whiter, one of the Blind Tennis Ambassadors, believes it will inspire other tennis players to take up opportunities outside of playing.

“Being one of the first to be able to take part in something like this and hopefully promote it to others who might have a disability whether it is being blind or potentially any other form of disability would be great because then it shows to the rest of the world as well that it doesn’t matter what your limitations are”.

Learnings from this course have resulted in changes to the registration process and practical elements of the coaching course, ensuring courses are more accessible for everyone long term. There was also an immediate success story with the participants coaching their first session the next day.

If you would like to sign up to a coaching course, please click here

For more information about Blind and Low Vision Tennis, please contact [email protected]