More primary school pupils across Aberdeen are being given the chance to enjoy tennis thanks to a unique partnership between Sport Aberdeen and a national tennis charity.
Eight city primary schools are now benefiting from coaching funded by children’s tennis charity Give It Your Max (GIYM), delivered with the support of Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools - the only Active Schools regional programme in Scotland to partner directly with GIYM.
Tullos School, Hanover Street, Muirfield and Quarryhill, have joined Manor Park, Westpark, Heathryburn and Bramble Brae schools, in offering the programme to pupils from P4-7.
The annual funding covers coaching costs, while Active Schools provides all the tennis equipment needed to deliver the sessions. Up to 20 children can take part in each session, which gives children the chance to try out tennis in a fun and accessible way.
Sarah Fraser, Lead Active Schools Coordinator, Sport Aberdeen, said, “We’re incredibly grateful to Give It Your Max for its continued support. Being able to offer these sessions means children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to try tennis can have fun practicing tennis skills in a familiar environment at their own school.
“The response from the schools involved has been really positive with the new schools also taking to the programme very quickly. We have a great mix of different age groups, but for us the most important thing is that the children enjoy themselves and see tennis as something that’s fun for them.”
Give It Your Max works with schools and communities across the UK to introduce tennis to children who may otherwise face barriers to accessing the sport. Aberdeen is the exclusive flagship region where GIYM embeds its structured school programme, with the partnership also helping to create a pathway for children and families to continue playing beyond the sports hall.
Additional coaching is being provided at the tennis courts at Northfield Outdoor Sports Centre, with the number of community sessions supported through the funding increasing this year.
The sessions give pupils who have played tennis at school somewhere locally to continue while also opening up opportunities for families and other members of the Northfield community to get involved.
Sarah added: “The community link is a really important part of the programme. Introducing children to tennis at school is a great first step, but we also want them to have somewhere they can keep playing.
“Success for us is a child enjoying tennis, building confidence and simply choosing to pick up a racket and give it a go.
“Having the courts at Northfield gives us that connection and encourages children to bring their families onto the courts together and make more use of a local facility.