17 September 2020 | Tennis West

Female tennis players in the Lower Great Southern region will be some of the first junior athletes in Australia to take part in the all new Tennis Australia Females in Tennis Development Camp.

Set to amplify opportunities for girls and women in tennis, Albany will play host to the first of 25 camps being rolled out across the country; with the free camps being funded under the Federal Government’s 2019 $12million commitment to women and girls in tennis.

Hitting the Lawley Park TC (Albany) on Friday 9 October, and free to female participants from across WA aged 9 and 14, players are invited to attend the full day development camp with Tennis Australia’s Talent Operations Manager WA, Emma Hayman and Tennis Australia Talent Program Coach, Marisa Gianotti.

Aiming to develop player performance both on and off the court, the guiding principles of the junior female development camps are reflective of the deliverables presented at State and National camps; including the pinnacle of female training camps reserved for the Australian Fed Cup Team.

“These camps are designed to bring girls together and show them that they are an important part of the Australian female tennis community, and that belonging to this community is something special,” said Tennis Australia’s National Lead – Females in Tennis, Emma Shoemaker.

In looking to reflect what is being seen in the modern women’s game and identifying the unique differences of playing and competing as a female player, the camp will focus on skill development, peer connection and unique experiences within tennis.

Underpinning the programs overall philosophy, will be Tennis Australia’s Wellbeing Program, with activities designed for nurturing the development of emotionally healthy players.

“The format of a camp is unique. We’re worked to create a comfortable setting for girls to explore new skills, and we have the time and space to run activities off court.

“Both from a wellbeing and on-court perspective, we know the skills we are teaching in these camps are ones that will be important down the track, especially if girls are looking to pursue high performance tennis.” Said Shoemaker.

Set to offer development opportunities for junior females in regional areas across Australia, the Females in Tennis Development camps will also look to identify players for ongoing opportunities available through both state and national development pathways and camps. Over the coming months, the Females in Tennis Development Camp will also head to Geraldton, Busselton and Kalgoorlie.

The camp comes as a significant win for junior players in the area, with tennis in the region set to benefit further under the proposed new Albany Community Tennis Centre, which would see 16 brand new LED lit hard courts at the preferred location of Centennial Park.

Working towards realising a new tennis centre for Albany is the project working group, inclusive of the City of Albany, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Tennis West, the Lower Great Southern Tennis Zone and the proposed amalgamated Albany Tennis Club committee (joining Lawley Park Tennis Club and Merrifield Park Tennis Club).

 

Camp Details:

Date: Friday 9 October

Time: 10am to 5pm

Location: Lawley Park Tennis Club

Spencer Lawley Park

Brunswick Road, Albany, WA 6330

Open to:  Girls aged between 9-14

                    Please note that registration is open to participants from across WA

Themes:

• Exploring a key stroke in the women’s game
• Connection – team, fun & friends
• Parent session – ‘What girls are looking for from sport’

Register here

 

About the Federal Government’s $12 million investment for Females in Tennis

The $12 million investment towards Females in Tennis was announced by the Federal Government in 2019 and will go towards providing increased programs to disadvantaged and hard to reach communities throughout Australia in order to retain more girls and young women in tennis, open up more opportunities for talent development, while at the same time creating future female leaders in the sport.

 

Building on existing programs offered by Tennis Australia the funding will:

• Provide 3000 girls with a tailored talent development program
• See 1000 girls and women participate in a community leadership and mentoring program
• Grow the number of female coach members by 10 per cent
• Close the 12 per cent gap in grassroots participation
• Increase the percentage of girls participating in competition from 37 to 45 per cent

 

Further event information:

Emma Shoemaker (National Lead – Females in Tennis) at [email protected]

Emma Hayman (Talent Operations Manager – WA) at [email protected].