LTA works with Women in Sport to help change the story for young Black girls
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The LTA is working with Women in Sport to change the story for young Black girls, after research revealed the multiple challenges restricting their participation in sport.
The LTA is one of eight national governing bodies who joined forces with Women in Sport to fund and support an innovative study exploring the needs and experiences of Black girls in sport.
This was the latest example of how the LTA and Women in Sport have worked together for a number of years to share research and expertise on female participation in sport.
The research was carried out over 6-8 months with girls aged 13-24 years old and its stark conclusion found that sport is currently failing Black girls.
It found that most Black girls love sport: twice as many Black girls (60%) as White British girls (33%) dream of becoming a top athlete or sportsperson. Black girls are the most likely to describe themselves as sporty, with over seven in ten Black girls feeling they are good at both team and individual sports. Black girls are also much more likely than other groups to value sport for their mental and physical health.
Despite this, Black girls are the least active of any female group, something which is not true for Black boys who also dream big. In fact, only one in seven Black girls are active outside school. In addition, 32% of Black girls say they are frequently penalised or get in trouble when they express themselves in sports and physical activity.
The research paints a picture of “a break up story” as Black girls fall out of love with sport and calls for people across the sporting sector to make sport joyful again, to value Black girls for who they are and to embrace their unique identities and needs, giving them space to bring their whole selves.
It also calls on the sector to build trust with Black girls and their families, to create safe places, to be flexible and actively to support Black girls, and be aware of the biases and stereotypes that we all carry.
Alexis Simms, LTA EDI Development Partner – Race and Ethnicity, said: “We are determined to change the story for Black girls in tennis and rebuild that lost trust. We know there is a real chance to do this as 18% of Black girls said in the research that tennis is a sport for people like me – a much higher figure than we see in other sports. We know there is a long way to go but we are determined to rise to the challenge to meet the needs of all Black girls.”
Stephanie Hilborne OBE, CEO of Women in Sport, said: “Sport should be a sanctuary, a source of joy and a gateway to opportunity. Yet for too many Black girls, it becomes a source of pain, exclusion and loss, to feel like another space where they don’t belong. We must change this story. Every sport must recognise the devastating loss this represents - for Black girls themselves and for the future of their sport. We welcome the LTA’s leadership and commitment to change - and their willingness to listen, learn and act. This is how we start to rebuild trust and make sport a place where every Black girl feels she belongs.”
The Black Girls in Sport research is part of wider ongoing activity within the LTA to better connect with Black and other more ethnically diverse communities.
The LTA has recently engaged Leeds Beckett University to produce a piece of research looking into perceptions of tennis among ethnically diverse communities. This is so that it can better understand how it can work with diverse communities and it provides important insight for the organisation’s forthcoming Ethnically Diverse Communities Plan.
Earlier this year the LTA launched its first Black and Asian Coach Network at the Lexus Birmingham Open. Over 60 coaches, industry leaders and collaborators came together to celebrate, connect, and champion greater representation, support, and visibility for Black and Asian coaches in tennis and padel. The day featured inspiring panel discussions, a keynote by former pro and LTA Level 5 Master Coach Yasmin Clarke, and contributions from Sporting Equals, UK Coaching, Asian Sports Foundation, Black Tennis Mentors UK and Black Spin Global.
Following the launch, it also hosted an LTA Coaches Webinar: Black History Month Special with Eugene Allen, Founder and co-host of Black Spin Global, and Zack Evenden, a professional coach from London, best known for his four-year partnership with Frances Tiafoe.
During the summer the LTA worked with Kinsis - a social enterprise changing the game for Black women in Higher Education - at their annual residential with a specially designed activity for around 60 Black girls from different universities to have tennis delivered by the all-female tennis community SheCanServe.
Elsewhere, the LTA helped launch and continues to support the Tennis Black List which, now in its third year, is a global celebration of Black and Mixed Black excellence across the game - spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers.
Last year five pioneering organisations from the Black tennis community also came together to form the Black Tennis Collective - the start of a powerful collaboration with the LTA. At the heart of the Black Tennis Collective lies a shared commitment to enhance Black visibility and participation in tennis across Britain offering valuable insights and perspectives from the Black community.
