The Peter Luck-Hille Cup 2017/8
Final -Wellington College May 27th 2018
THE DEDANISTS' FOUNDATION
of REAL TENNIS
INITIATIVES
Train the Trainer Workshops
We have funded the development and delivery of a new one-day practical workshop to train club pros in how to recruit and coach youngsters and schools.
It is now part of the T&RA / RTPA's formal training and accreditation programme for pros. Before moving on to take up his new position at Head Professional at Wellington, Dan Jones ran these courses at several different clubs. He is now running ‘Train the Trainer’ courses at Wellington to pass on to other professionals his in-depth knowledge of how to plan and execute junior group training sessions. Most of the countries professionals have now attended and passed this very important course. All pros who have attended to date have rated it highly. It has certainly increased their confidence and ability to be effective in enthusing junior tennis players. The next course is being held at Wellington on May 12th.
For more information on the coaching techniques being learnt on these course please view the video clips on the “Coaching” tab.
Junior Coordinator Programme
The Dedanists' Foundation funds and runs a structured course to teach selected members of Real Tennis Clubs how to coach juniors. Similar courses are found in the world of Lawn Tennis and Squash.
The strategic idea underlying the JC course is that amateurs with an interest in junior tennis will be able to provide valuable support to the Club Professionals in developing their own Junior Programmes. They would be able to offer valuable cover if the Pro is ill or away, and would enable clubs to take ownership of their Junior Programmes and therefore become less reliant on Dedanists’ Foundation support for the long-term. After discussions with the T&RA, it was agreed that the JC Course would be a CPD1 Course, and therefore all participants would be covered by T&RA insurance.
The courses will provide:
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Valuable support to the professionals in developing their own junior programmes
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Offer valuable cover if the pro is away or ill, as continuity is vital to the success of the course.
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This would also help clubs take ownership of their junior programme and become less reliant on DF support for the long term.
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The Junior Coordinator would also be helpful in transporting junior to fixtures
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Liaise with other JC's to discuss ideas and promotions
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Offer valuable support to club, professionals and junior development.
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JC's may also provide valuable experience such as marketing, sales, promotion or other skills sets
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All JC's would have to have insurance and DBS certification.
TRAINING
FUNDING
The Peter Luck-Hille Cup
This tournament is sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation. It is part of the Foundation’s programme for encouraging and helping clubs to recruit more schools and youngsters into the game.
This event is a junior inter-club competition run on a handicap basis designed to include predominantly youngsters aged 12-15 with handicaps ranging from 45-90.
The Charity, with the assistance of our Ambassador Paul Weaver and Director Josh Farrall, successfully ran the eigth Peter Luck-Hille Cup in 2021/22. This inter-club junior team competition is aimed at giving juniors who may be below the elite level a chance to take part in team matches and meet similar juniors from other clubs. The 2022/23 tournament is now under way with a record entry of 12 clubs now taking part.The grand final will be held at Wellington in June 2023.
Universities
We have identified University Student Real Tennis Clubs as a very effective means of recruiting new young players, and well worth our support.
We have awarded cash grants to each of the following university student clubs: Bristol, Middlesex, St Andrews, Exeter (who play at the Hyde and Bristol courts), Newcastle, York and Durham (who play at the Jesmond Dean court) and St Mary's.
We have awarded these grants on the basis that the student clubs have proper governance, elected Officers, formal University recognition and a formal relationship with their local club with a court.
These factors will help to ensure that these student clubs endure from one academic year to the next, and that the Foundation funding delivers long-term benefit for Junior Real Tennis.
Just before Christmas 2022, Paul Weaver, approached the T&RA and the Dedanists' Foundation to discuss ways of working together to increase junior participation in Real Tennis. So together, a plan was hatched to offer more than 2000 T&RA members, a chance for their children/grandchildren to have a free lesson at their nearest Real Tennis court over the Christmas period.
The offer would be funded by the Dedanists’ Foundation and was open to all newcomers to the game under the age of 18. The response was tremendous with 24 youngsters being signed up in just a few days for a free lesson to take place during the Christmas school holidays. A total of 10 Real Tennis clubs around the country were involved. Not only did this initiative allow 24 youngsters the chance to experience our game for the first time, but it also opened up a conversation about junior tennis with some clubs that had not previously been very involved with juniors.
The T&RA were delighted with the success and were keen to work with Paul to replicate similar junior initiatives in the future. The intention was to fund any similar initiatives on a 50-50 basis between the T&RA and the Dedanists' Foundation. As a result, this process was repeated for the Easter holiday period 2023 and again in the summer of 2023.
Many of the clubs involved intend to use this initiative and the juniors that came forward as a basis to form brand-new junior sections at their clubs and they are keen to make sure that the initial free lesson is not just a one-off visit. So, as well as obviously being very popular with parents, these initiatives have also been very well received by the Real Tennis professionals too. As a result of these initiatives, a total of 64 youngsters have been able to experience Real Tennis for the first time and the feeling is that we are in the process of creating a whole new future generation of players.