SCHOOLCHILDREN have been getting a taste for tennis at Leicester’s refurbished tennis courts, which are available for families to use throughout the summer.
As Wimbledon approaches and puts tennis firmly in the spotlight, a schools’ tennis programme has been giving youngsters the chance to try out the sport, as well as highlighting the 28 refurbished tennis courts available at Leicester parks.
‘Set for the Future’ is a schools’ tennis programme aimed at increasing physical activity and creating chances for young people to try tennis. To celebrate its progress, last week (on Wed 17 June) pupils from Uplands Junior School visited refurbished tennis courts at Victoria Park to practise their new-found skills.
Pupils enjoyed fun, professional coaching sessions, helping them experience tennis on their local courts, and building their confidence to stay active beyond school.
In its first year, Set For The Future has already engaged more than 250 pupils in tennis, across an age range of year three and four pupils (aged seven to nine) including groups who are typically under-represented in the sport or who might not otherwise get the chance to try it. A total of 22 members of staff have also been trained in how to deliver inclusive tennis coaching.
Set For The Future is funded by the LTA Tennis Foundation and delivered by Inspire Together in partnership with We Do Tennis and Leicester City Council.
Assistant city mayor for sports, Cllr Vi Dempster, said: “In 2024, we undertook a £420,000 transformation of tennis courts across our city parks. In total, 28 park-based tennis courts were renovated, with improvements including new asphalt surfacing, repainting, replacement nets and new entrance gates. A booking system for the courts and free tennis coaching sessions from We Do Tennis were also introduced.
“Since then, we have taken more than 25,000 bookings from 7,000 people, with 700 people using annual passes to regularly use our courts. Our free coaching sessions have also been very popular.
“Working in partnership in this way has allowed us to invest in much-needed upgrades and our community tennis courts continue to be really well used.
“It’s wonderful to see our city schools also using these facilities so that we can give even more children a chance to try tennis, get active and discover something new.
“I hope that over the summer, lots of families will be inspired to have a go at tennis on one of our excellent courts.”
Nick Hodges, project lead at Inspire Together, said: “We had a very successful first year of delivering Set For The Future in Leicester primary schools, focusing particularly on Year 3-4 girls and SEND pupils aged 7-11, as they are typically under-represented in the sport.
“It was fantastic to see children putting their new skills into action on the impressive refurbished courts. Having a professional tennis coach at each venue added to the excitement and energy of the sessions, and we hope the experience will inspire pupils to continue using these community facilities for many years to come.”
To book a tennis court in Leicester, visit https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/LeicesterParksTennis
Find out more about free sessions at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/LeicesterParksTennis/FreeParkTennis
The city council’s full range of sports and physical activity sessions and facilities is online at www.leicester.gov.uk/activeleicester
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