Black History Month: Meet the tennis gamechanger with an award to prove it

The 45-year-old was recognised at the Tennis Black List Awards, which honour individuals carrying out exceptional grassroots work around Great Britain.

He was named a 'Game Changer in the Community' as a reward for his efforts to grow and develop tennis in his role as a coach at Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow.

Speaking to mark Black History Month, which runs throughout October, Leonard said: “I felt honoured and appreciated to win the award. Tennis is a sport I love with a passion and I do everything I can to get adults and children playing.”

Leonard first started playing tennis in Nigeria, where he grew up, and has now amassed nearly three decades of on-court experience, spending his time passing that on to anyone who wants to pick up a racket at the six-court public venue in the shadow of the University of Glasgow.

He said: “I first got involved in tennis because my brothers would play at the local club just across the road from our home in Lagos. I saw it as a great means to spend my free time with other children after school.”

Leonard, from the Cardonald area of Glasgow, has been working on the courts of Kelvingrove for seven years following three years at Scotstoun Leisure Centre, and has become a Level 3 LTA-accredited coach, driven by his desire to introduce the sport to new people.

“My motivation comes from the enjoyment people get by playing tennis,” he said. “I spend around 30 hours per week on court working with players of all ages. The youngest players I coach are four and the oldest are in their 70s. I love to see their satisfaction and smiles on their faces after a session.”

The Tennis Black List Awards, founded by Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey-Addo last year, recognise contributions from individuals and organisations in tennis, from grassroots up to the professional level, both domestically and internationally.

The 2024 ceremony took place at the National Tennis Centre with eight awards presented, including the ‘Rising Star’ prize going to 16-year-old Hephzibah Oluwadare, who trains with the Tennis Scotland Performance team at the University of Stirling and helped Scotland to victory at the 2023 Junior Four Nations.

The Tennis Black List aims to inspire future generations in the tennis community – and that’s something that certainly applies to Leonard, who travelled to the ceremony in London.

“The award is important recognition and a big achievement in my coaching career,” he said. “I was super excited to win.”