The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has announced a new project that seeks to open up the sport to more people in London.
The new three-year collaboration involves a £500,000 investment from the Mayor and the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) into Rally Together London, a programme which will train 250 people from under-represented backgrounds to join the tennis workforce and facilitate sessions for local communities, with a minimum of 50% to be female.
This initiative aims to inspire and support at least 5,500 more young people – especially those from disadvantaged boroughs to engage with tennis – while leveraging the return of women’s tennis to the Queens Club after over 50 years as part of the HSBC Championships running through to 15 June.
Rally Together London will recruit, train and deploy 200 tennis activators to deliver the sport and these activators will help grow the LTA’s Barclays Free Park Tennis programme which offers free, weekly sessions with equipment provided on public park courts, and LTA SERVES which takes tennis to the heart of local communities for young people who may never otherwise have played.
Khan said: “The really exciting aspect of this partnership is that we will be reaching young people across the capital and specifically young women, as we create new opportunities for them to play tennis and to join the tennis workforce.”
Tennis coaches are the lifeblood of the sport and this funding will provide a cohort of 50 the chance to achieve their LTA Assistant (Level 1) and Instructor (Level 2) qualifications to help grow participation in parks and community venues, improve employment opportunities and grow the number of female coaches in the sport.
Naomi, an LTA SERVES Activator from Badu Sports, said: “It’s great that this new partnership between the LTA and Mayor of London will help give more young people across the city access to the sport — particularly as tennis has historically not been fully inclusive or accessible to underrepresented groups.
“Not only is tennis a great sport to play, but it can also help young people to develop their skills as a volunteer or coach, and even be an opportunity for paid employment.”
The Mayor and LTA plan to work together on various initiatives and campaigns to promote women’s tennis and women’s sport across the capital, such as the recent launch of the HSBC Championships with a pop-up tennis court on the city’s iconic Trafalgar Square.
Khan added: “I am delighted we are announcing this new partnership as women’s tennis returns to the iconic Queen’s Club for the first time in more than 50 years, with world’s best players competing in our city at the HSBC Championships.”
Many of the world’s best women’s tennis players are taking centre stage this week in West London, including Britain’s own 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and British No.1 Katie Boulter.
They are joined by esteemed players including reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Paris 2024 Olympic Champion Qinwen Zhen, former Wimbledon champions in Petra Kvitova and Elena Rybakina.
London is the undisputed global women’s sporting capital this summer with the Rugby World Cup set to take place at Twickenham in August, which will have a world-record attendance for a standalone women’s rugby.
Khan declared: “I am determined to bring even more sporting events to our city as we continue working to build a better, healthier, more prosperous London for all.”
This partnership will allow more people to experience the multiple benefits that tennis brings whilst growing the number of LTA activators and coaches and ensuring that the tennis workforce is reflective of the diversity of the capital.
LTA Chief Executive, Scott Lloyd said: “In particular, we are excited by the opportunity to grow the female tennis workforce, which will in turn help provide opportunities for more women and girls to pick up a racket and play.”
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