SPORTING PARTNERSHIPS
Developing winners Supporting aspiring tennis players of the future
From Emma Raducanu’s historical 2021 US Open win, to tennis legend Andy Murray making it to two ATP finals in 2022, it’s been an exciting few years for British tennis - the success has seen a huge surge in both interest and participation in the sport as a result. New figures from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have captured the growth, with over 3.5 million children playing tennis in 2022 and an extra 328,000 children playing tennis in schools. This success should not be understated. Having overcome reduced access to sport due to the pandemic, thousands of pupils are now benefiting from the unique skills that participation in sports brings, boosting both their physical and mental health while fostering vital soft skills for life. At Loughborough Schools Foundation, we’ve been at the heart of the action thanks to Loughborough Amherst School’s ongoing partnership with the LTA
and Loughborough University. Loughborough University is one of two National Academies for tennis, designed to nurture fourteen to eighteen year olds who demonstrate the greatest future potential in the sport. As part of our relationship, we provide education, boarding and pastoral provision for national academy players. This year will mark the fourth year of our partnership, with further significant growth expected this year. So far, we’ve seen brilliant wins from our students, both on the court and in the classroom, with the entire foundation benefitting as a result. Across the Foundation, we’ve been particularly committed to encouraging female inclusion in sport, an area which has not been adequately represented nationwide for far too long. In light of this, it’s been rewarding to see our female tennis players excelling, swiftly developing their performance with assistance from our talented coaches and
healthy competition with their teammates. While these achievements alone are impressive, equally so is our students’ academic progress off the court. The initial challenge the team faced was how to best accommodate a group of students travelling across the country in a high-intensity environment to ensure they had the best quality of education. Learning from what works best in practice, the end result we’ve produced is a carefully curated one-to-one programme, tailored to each individual student and their busy timetables. Every player is allocated one specialist teacher, who works with them remotely and flexibly - even making the occasional courtside appearance. As our programme grows, we hope to see even more benefits for all our pupils, in addition to some future sports stars on our courts. JO HACKETT Director of Sport at Loughborough Schools Foundation www.lsf.org www.lboro. ac.uk
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