Search for tennis stars of the future

9:20am Monday 12th May 2008

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Herts Lawn Tennis Association is aiming to increase grass roots participation in the sport.

The Sportsmatch Herts Mini Tennis Trail will offer budding tennis players the opportunity to become part of a subsidised tennis programme.

The scheme will significantly increase the tennis opportunities to schoolchildren across the county.

It will include visits to 128 schools, during which Reception and Year 1 pupils will participate in fun-filled tennis taster' sessions.

Festivals of tennis will then aim to build on these visits.

Squads of eight children, including a minimum of three girls, will be selected and invited to attend one-hour tennis sessions at their local club throughout the year.

Those players that are not selected will be given information of affordable tennis sessions taking place in the future, including pay-and-play sessions for youngsters under eight.

Once in the Sportsmatch Herts Mini Tennis Trail squads, the most able children will be given the opportunity to attend talent days for the Pathway to Tarbes programme.

The aim of the Pathway to Tarbes scheme is to identify players with athletic ability, along with the enthusiasm and desire to compete at the highest level, and provide them with the support to progress to national-standard tennis.

Leo Tutt, Herts LTA tennis development manager, said: "It is the most exciting and ambitious tennis development programme ever run within the county. We have a unique approach which removes one of the key barriers to participation - cost, thus encouraging new raw talent into the sport."