On Tuesday, club representatives and coaches participated in a All Abilities Tennis Forum. This was the first time Tennis West has delivered a forum on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Tennis West and Tennis Australia have done a great job in establishing performance pathways and support for delivering tennis to all community members, this includes those who live with a disability.
This forum series is something Tennis West’s DEI team had wanted to host for some time now. However, an understanding of interest, capabilities, capacities and current offerings within the current WA Tennis community was needed.
In 2023, after a comprehensive survey was sent out to clubs and coaches, over 70% of the 79 respondents indicated that they wanted to know more about inclusive tennis delivery. Tennis West worked closely with partnering organisations WADSA and Sport4All, to create two workshops tailored to coaches in the morning, and club volunteers in the evening.
Our partner organisations presented their expertise in the disability sport sector and their ongoing support options. We also held a panel to allow for those in attendance to ask questions on how to start, lessons learnt, and tips and tricks.
Tennis West Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead Zara Cavalot highlighted the role tennis has in Perth’s sport scene and the barriers to participation for people with disabilities.
“Across both the club and coach forum, there was a diverse range of experiences and of offerings, though we all had an interest in All Abilities accessibility and tennis delivery, which brought us together. I hope we were able to empower and up skill the community tennis leaders present to ensure their venues are accessible, safe, and promoting the programs they offer.”
“Many of these inclusive offerings have only been around for a few years, so we will work with clubs and coaches to promote their opportunities to their local communities. It was an important step in WA’s tennis journey,” said Zara.
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