Lanark Tennis Club - Level 1 Course

Tennis Scotland joined forces with social enterprise, Accessible Tennis CIC, to create opportunities for individuals from under-represented groups to progress onto the coaching pathway, with Lanark Tennis Club providing free court use for a unique course which was designed to diversify the Scottish tennis workforce.

As part of Tennis Scotland’s objective to increase accessibility of coach education across the nation, players from a range of different backgrounds were invited to join a bespoke LTA Level 1 Coaching Assistant course held in Lanark this month. The course was made available to a group of individuals that have displayed a passion for continuing to use the sport as a vehicle for positive change for themselves and those that have faced similar challenges.

Tennis Scotland’s Charitable Foundation

As a result of a partnership between the club and the governing body, Tennis Scotland’s Charitable Foundation covered course fees for eight participants, including those recovering from serious injury, carers, individuals with learning disabilities and members of a rehabilitation project.

Many participants on the course were members of Accessible Tennis CIC, a social enterprise which supports the health, fitness and wellbeing of underrepresented groups within communities through the provision of inclusive tennis coaching. Winners of Tennis Scotland’s 2018 Disability Award, the social enterprise was founded by Marie Burns, an LTA level 3 Accredited coach who led the sessions at Lanark Tennis Club, alongside Tennis Scotland’s Workforce Manager, Anna Myatt.

Make The Move Into The Coaching Landscape

The course strengthened a long-standing relationship between the Lanark club, Accessible Tennis CIC, and Neighbourhood Networks which supports vulnerable adults. Through access to Level 1 courses, Marie now aims to open the door for a greater number of people from underrepresented groups to make the move into the coaching landscape.

Marie Burns, Founder of Accessible Tennis CIC, said: “For many people the transition from player to an assisting or coaching role is not a simple one as it takes a lot of self-belief and a range of new attributes to deliver safe and enjoyable classes.

“Thanks to the support of Lanark Tennis Club and Tennis Scotland, individuals on the Level 1 course have been offered an invaluable experience to collaborate with aspiring coaches who share their ambition to develop. The course clearly acted as a great confidence-booster and the supportive environment our participants created between each other has been wonderful to see.”

A Path To Re-Engage With The Sport

One of the course attendees was previous President of Rutherglen LTC, Alyson Tannahill, who recovering from a serious brain injury, aims to use the Level 1 course as a path to re-engage with the sport, utilising her on and off court experience to open the sport to the wider community, and inspire more females to join the coaching pathway.

Speaking about the Level 1 course, Alyson commented: “I feel very thankful to have received the opportunity and I can’t wait to utilise my coaching skills and new self-belief to become an established coaching assistant this year. My Level 1 certificate certainly won’t be hidden away in a drawer, and I’ll definitely be putting it to good use!”

“I feel very thankful to have received the opportunity and I can’t wait to utilise my coaching skills and new self-belief to become an established coaching assistant this year. My Level 1 certificate certainly won’t be hidden away in a drawer, and I’ll definitely be putting it to good use during the October week!”

Drive Engagement

The bespoke Level 1 course has been driven by Tennis Scotland’s new Workforce Manager, Anna Myatt, who is also an LTA Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Tutor. Following outstanding growth of female participation in 2020, with 48% of new club memberships taken out by women and girls, Anna has set her sights on continuing to drive engagement from underrepresented groups within tennis.

Anna commented: “My aim is to ensure that everyone has easy access to volunteering and coach education to provide a path towards becoming a coach in the future, even if individuals just want to support their local organisation for a few hours per week. We’ll be undertaking a range of activities to ensure that underrepresented groups, such as people with a disability, ethnic minorities and people from low income areas, can swiftly move onto the pathway in Scotland.

“We would like to thank Allyson Matthews and the committee at Lanark Tennis Club for providing the platform to host this Level 1 course, which we hope will be the first of many. It’s a great example of how coaches and venues can work together to enhance the provision of tennis activities across the nation.”

For more information about Accessible Tennis CIC, please visit the organisation’s website, or contact Marie Burns via:

Email: enterprise@accessibletennis.co.uk
Mobile: 07759274106.