Tennis Wales & Squash Wales Joint Wheelchair Pilot a Success
• 3 minute read
Tennis Wales and Squash Wales recently delivered a joint six week Wheelchair Tennis and Squash pilot programme at Rhiwbina Squash & Tennis Club, aimed at supporting wheelchair users to access both sports.
Thanks to funding from The National Lottery and National Lottery Good Causes, the pilot was designed to explore how two sports could work together to create a more inclusive and accessible sporting offer. Participants were given the opportunity to develop new skills while enjoying the physical and social benefits of both tennis and squash.
Led by Richard Plenty, Evan Kennedy, Tom Rosser, and Simon Kilshaw, the programme also helped raise awareness of existing participation opportunities, including the weekly Thursday wheelchair squash sessions at Rhiwbina, the Tennis Wales Championships, and the Welsh Wheelchair Squash Open.
The pilot proved valuable not only for participants, but also for the coaches involved.
Tennis coach Evan Kennedy said:
“The pilot has served as a great learning tool for me. I had never coached wheelchair tennis before, but thanks to this programme, I now feel much more confident than I did at the start.”
Wheelchair squash coach Richard Plenty added:
“The six‑week programme went really well, with two new players attending most weeks. On a personal note, I loved every minute and had great support from Tom (Squash Wales) and Simon (Rhiwbina Squash Club). I look forward to doing it again and growing this challenging sport.”
Following the success of the pilot, Squash Wales and Tennis Wales are exploring opportunities to build on the programme in the future, both at Rhiwbina and potentially at other venues across Wales.
While the pilot has now concluded, the opportunities it created will continue to shape how national governing bodies can work together to support access to sport for wheelchair users.
