17 December 2013 | Tennis West

Two innovative partnerships have emerged in the last few months between Mt Lawley Tennis Centre and the John Forrest Secondary College Tennis Program. All tennis students from years 8-10 have now become members of the Mt Lawley Tennis Club as part of their specialist tennis program. This partnership, which is unique in WA, has resulted in three new pennant teams being formed and the opportunity for students to train and play at the club using the brand new facilities, which were opened in October 2012. John Campbell, the school tennis coach, is excited about the potential of such a partnership and is appreciative of the forward thinking of the club. This has been an excellent way of forging strong links with the local tennis community.

The school has also has formed links with local tennis clubs, with a number of students taking up school traineeships with local tennis coaches and their businesses.  One example of this is Year 11 student Madison Cooper, who is currently completing her Certificate II in Sport Coaching and Sport and Recreation and is in a school based traineeship at the club under the guidance of Mt Lawley tennis coach Ali Zevkli. This program involves coaching part time, receiving on the job training and completing the Western Australian Certificate of Education while attending school. Ali thoroughly recommends other coaches employ trainees such as Madison and believes that “Having young people with such enthusiasm and a good understanding of tennis is a great fit for my business”. Trainees can enable a business access to a range of government incentives.

John Campbell agrees: “There is a great need for young aspirants in the world of tennis coaching”. Recently, the most famous Australian woman tennis player, Margaret Court, accepted an invitation to become patron of the John Forrest Tennis program and one of her key messages was to encourage the members of the program to join local clubs and aim high. The tennis students at John Forrest have been inspired to follow their dreams to make tennis an important part of their future directions. Les Peirce President of Mt Lawley Tennis Club believes that the “Creating a partnership between John Forrest and Mt Lawley Tennis Centre was not only logical but vital for the ongoing development of tennis in the community. The value of the tennis program at John Forrest needed to be recognised and the students offered a strong link for their playing future.”