The Parks Alliance welcomes the Lawn Tennis Association’s plan to boost participation, with parks at the core of their strategy

Tennis Center, East Potomac Park by Tim Evanson

Welcoming the proposed partnership between the Lawn Tennis Association and parks across the UK to improve sports and leisure facilities Chairman of The Parks Alliance, Mark Camley, said:

“Parks provide the UK’s sports fields and play ground. Most sport starts in a park and good quality green spaces are crucial to increasing the number of people getting active, participating in sport and improving the nation’s health. Successive cuts are hitting parks hard, with managers and friends groups struggling to maintain recent improvements in standards. This partnership is an opportunity to improve the quality of hundreds of parks and attract more park goers. We look forward to other sporting federations supporting the parks that support their grass roots and grow their future stars.”

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) today issued an announcement outlining their British tennis strategy for 2015-2018. The four year plan aims to get “more people playing tennis more often”.

Parks across the UK are identified as one of three key participation “focus” areas for the strategy – the plan aims to build partnerships in the community, led by parks. The other two “focus” areas of the strategy are to deliver great services to clubs and to enhance the tennis offer in education. The collective plan aims to make tennis more accessible and inclusive.

The plan relies on a collective focus on tennis provision with clubs, community (led by parks) and education settings that will make tennis more accessible and inclusive.

ENDS.

For further information contact:

Hayley Hannan: 020 7685 2658, communications@theparksalliance.org

Twitter: @parksallianceuk