More than twenty five aspiring female tennis players from across the Mid West region hit the courts of the Tarcoola Park Tennis Club on Saturday 5 December for Tennis Australia’s all new Females in Tennis Development Camp.
Set to amplify opportunities for girls and women in tennis, the Mid West was host to one of just 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.
Tennis Australia’s Talent Operations Manager WA, Emma Hayman and Tennis Australia Talent Program Coach, Marisa Gianotti were joined by Program Pathway Leader, Ardian Fazliu for the delivery of both on and off court development activities for the tennis hopefuls.
Aiming to develop player performance both on and off the court, participants of the female development camps shared in teachings as presented at Tennis Australia’s national camps; including principles and lessons reserved for the Australian Billie Jean King Cup* Team.
“These camps are designed to bring the 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,”
“And the response from the girls across the region has been overwhelming. To have more than twenty five girls take part in the Development Camp signifies a really healthy appetite for tennis in the region,” Tennis Australia’s Talent Operations Manager WA, Emma Hayman said.
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 focused on skill development, peer connection and unique experiences within tennis.
Underpinning the programs overall philosophy was Tennis Australia’s Wellbeing Program, with activities designed for nurturing the development of emotionally healthy players.
“The format of the camp is unique. We create a really comfortable setting for girls to explore new skills, with plenty of 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.” Hayman added.
Set to offer development opportunities for junior females in regional areas across Australia, the Females in Tennis Development camps is also designed to identify players for ongoing opportunities available through both state and national development pathways and camps. With the first of the camps held in Albany earlier this year, WA will see the Females in Tennis Development Camp also head to Busselton and Kalgoorlie in 2021.
*The Billie Jean King Cup is the new name of the former Fed Cup
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.
Federal funding details:
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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