A TENNIS club is celebrating a hugely successful girls-only programme, with double the number of young women now picking up a racket.
Romsey and Abbey Tennis Club launched its first set of girls-only beginners courses earlier this year as part of the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) ‘youth girls’ project with Prime Video offering subsidised tennis sessions for school-aged girls.
The programme is in full swing at the club by Romsey Rapids, with seven courses and three competitions being held so far.
Around 40 girls between the ages of four to 16 have now started playing with a 95 per cent retention rate between the introductory and follow-up courses.
READ MORE: Romsey Tennis Club gets behind LTA initiative for girls in sport
Programme leader and coach, Veronica Broughton-Shaw, said: “I’ve been coaching 15 years or so and I think this is one of the most positive experiences I’ve been involved in. I’m thrilled with the brilliant impact it has made.
“We’ve had some great feedback from the LTA as one of the most successful clubs on the scheme in the country, we’ve done really well.
“What’s really interesting is how all the young ladies have taken to it. It’s good to have women’s only groups because the dynamic is different and girls can sometimes feel more comfortable.
“It’s essential to get women playing sport and tennis is a sport for life. If you get into tennis, you can play it from four to 104. It’s a lovely sport to be involved in and you can play it different ways and at all different levels.”
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Courses cost £35 for six sessions, a racket, kit and tennis balls to reduce socio-economic barriers.
From mid-August to the end of the month, the club is launching a fast-track girls-only course for kids aged four to eight.
The organisation has also decided to provide further funding for the older girls aged 12 to 16 to play throughout the winter, when the club is most at risk of losing players.
As well as sessions encouraging more girls into tennis, the club is trialling walking tennis for people a little less mobile, with players well into their 80s managing to keep up the sport they love.
For more information go to clubspark.lta.org.uk/RomseyTennis/Index/c928e735-e89b-4842-9f70-dafcbc823cd5.
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