7 September 2017 | Tennis West

Local West Australian tennis star and world no. 137 Matt Ebden visited Our Lady’s Assumption School in Dianella on Wednesday as part of the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow which is celebrating a record 80,000 tennis racquets delivered to primary school students across the country.

 

Ebden, who has just returned after playing US Open qualifying, joined ANZ Branch representative Tanya Brynjulfsen to visit the Dianella school and deliver more than 60 brand new tennis racquets to the school’s pre-primary students, thanks to ANZ.

 

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots and the School Partnership Program are vital elements of Tennis Australia’s mission to encourage more children to pick up a racquet and learn tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum.

 

ANZ’s support of the initiative has ensured pre-primary students from registered schools receive a brand new racquet, with tens of thousands involved since January 2015.

 

• There are currently more than 2,000 schools across Australia participating in the School Partnership Program as part of their health and physical education curriculum, with more than 200 located in Western Australia.

 

• Nationwide more than 213,883 children played ANZ Tennis Hot Shots in 2015/16, making it one of Australia’s most popular sport participation programs.

 

Todd Woodbridge, who has also been visiting schools as part of the roadshow, has enjoyed presenting the brand new ANZ racquets to primary students across Australia, and introducing them to the sport he loves.

 

“In just two years ANZ has helped us introduce tennis to kids in schools by delivering 80,000 racquets across the country which is an amazing achievement,” Woodbridge said.

 

“The racquet initiative is a fantastic way to introduce and encourage more kids to play tennis and have fun, as well as help to identify the future champions of our sport.

 

“The School Partnership Program gives primary school students the opportunity to play tennis as part of their curriculum and to keep active and fit,” Woodbridge continued.

 

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley firmly believes sports like tennis are vital to children’s health and wellbeing at a young age.

 

“Sport has, and continues to play, a very significant role in the lives of all Australian families and communities,” Tiley said.

 

“Schools provide great opportunities for children to participate in sports, which in turn develops the physical, social and emotional skills which are critical to a child’s development.

 

“At Tennis Australia, we are very proud to support Australian schools and teachers in the delivery of sustainable health and physical education programs. Tennis values the importance of health and physical education, and the role which sports play in providing opportunities for children to be active.”

 

ANZ Head of Marketing Australia Carolyn Bendall added: “ANZ is committed to supporting the growth of tennis at all levels – from our association with ANZ Tennis Hot Shots through to our sponsorship of the Australian Open.  It is great to see how this is playing out in local communities.”

 

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots fast facts

 

• ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is Tennis Australia’s official development program specifically designed to introduce primary school children between five and 12 years of age to tennis. The program uses smaller courts, racquets and low compression tennis balls
• ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is one of Australia’s most popular sports participation programs for the five to 12 year old age group
• A record 213,883 children played ANZ Tennis Hot Shots nationwide in 2015/16. This is a 9 per cent increase on 2014/15
• ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is popular with both genders – 46% girls and 54% boys participated in the program in 2015/16
• There are more than 2000 Tennis Australia partner schools in Australia delivering tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum

 

Tennis Australia School Partnership Program

• Tennis is the number one delivered sport through the Australian Sports Commission Sporting Schools initiative
• Since January 2015, ANZ has provided 80,000 racquets to school students around Australia who take part in Tennis Australia’s School Partnership Program.
• Tennis Australia’s School Partnership Program aims to give children the opportunity to pick up a racquet and play tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum
• Tennis is committed to supporting schools and teachers with the implementation and delivery of sustainable programs and quality playing opportunities
• Tennis values the importance of health and physical education and the role which sport plays in schools to provide more opportunities for students to get active and participate
• As a Tennis Australia partner school, schools receive an equipment pack, a comprehensive teaching resource with lesson plans mapped to the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education developed for all student levels, professional learning opportunities and opportunity to apply for line marking and on court funding assistance

 

Requirements

 

• A Tennis Australia partner school must include tennis in their health and physical curriculum for a minimum of four weeks per year, host one intra-school tennis competition each year, partner with a local Tennis Australia club and coach, have the coordinating teacher participate in professional learning and form a student committee to provide tennis equipment for students at lunch time.

 

All Tennis Australia school resources are linked to the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education and have been endorsed by the Australian Council for Health and Physical Education Recreation (ACHPER). For more information please visit http://www.tennis.com.au/schools.

 

For further information on ANZ Tennis Hot Shots please visit hotshots.tennis.com.au.