Aspiring female junior tennis players from across the Mid West are set to benefit from Tennis Australia’s Females in Tennis Development Camp, when the all new initiative hits the Tarcoola Park Tennis Club early next month.
Set to amplify opportunities for girls and women in tennis, Geraldton will play host to the second instalment of the four camps being rolled out across the state, with a total of 25 camps being held across Australia.
Thanks to funding which comes as part of the 2019 Federal Government’s $12million commitment to women and girls in tennis, the Mid West based camp comes at no cost to players with registrations open to all WA female junior tennis players aged 9 – 14 years of age.
Hitting the Tarcoola Park Tennis Club on Saturday 5 December, participants will enjoy a full day development camp led by 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, participants of the female development camps will share in teachings as presented at Tennis Australia’s national camps; including principles and lessons 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 able 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 girls 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. These further opportunities also consist of initiatives through Tennis Australia’s inclusion talent pathways and girls identifying with a disability, who currently play tennis, are also encouraged to register.
The inaugural Females in Tennis Development Camp was held in Albany at the beginning of October, with additional camps planned for Busselton and Kalgoorlie in 2021.
Camp Details:
Date: Saturday 5 December
Time: 10am to 5pm
Location: Tarcoola Park Tennis Club
5 Glengarry Ct, Mount Tarcoola
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’
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
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