Mel South heads back to school with AEGON

British number five Mel South took time out from playing at the AEGON Classic to visit Raddlebarn Primary School in Birmingham and see how the AEGON Schools Tennis strategy is getting more children involved in tennis.

The Team AEGON player was impressed by the programme and the positive impact it’s having on the sport:

‘To encourage more kids to take up the sport and stay involved, we want to make tennis more accessible at school and we want them to have a quality experience of this great sport, and the session I saw today was exactly that.’

AEGON Schools Tennis programme

The AEGON Schools Tennis programme is designed to get more children playing tennis through providing the right resources to overcome the barriers to participation in schools.

Research by the Tennis Foundation shows that although many schools offer tennis, teachers often don’t have the confidence to teach the sport. To overcome this barrier, all teachers receive a free training session from an LTA-approved coach along with an innovative DVD to help them run lessons and teach tennis skills. Schools also receive a free kit containing everything they need including rackets, balls and a net.

Raddlebarn Primary School Sport Co-ordinator, Tim Weatherup, added:

‘The programme has provided our school with the resources to help enrich the teaching and learning of tennis within the primary curriculum. Having the necessary equipment is the first step to ensuring successful delivery of tennis within our school and will, I am sure, encourage more schools to offer increased opportunities within the game.’

Over 7,000 kits given out

Since AEGON became Lead Partner of British Tennis in 2009, over 7,000 AEGON Schools Tennis packs have been distributed around the UK with more going out all the time.

Find out more about the AEGON Schools Tennis programme, including our interactive map which shows how many kits have been given out in each region.

Team AEGON

Mel is a member of Team AEGON, which is made up of around 40 of the top British players selected by the LTA to receive the highest level of support, allowing them to concentrate on making the most of their talent. Find out more about Team AEGON including a full list of players
 

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