Coach John Taylor with one of the Red Stage Tennis groups at Portsmouth Tennis Centre
Ahead of this year’s Wimbledon season, budding young tennis players are being encouraged to pick up a racket and give the sport a go.
Portsmouth Tennis Centre (Alexandra Way) is run by registered charity BH Live in partnership with Portsmouth City Council.
More than 200 players aged between 5 to 16 regularly play at the city sports centre which has been praised by LTA for its inclusive tennis programme.
With sessions for all ages and abilities, its coaching team is passionate about inspiring young people to get involved and keeping them engaged with the sport.
BH Live has developed a new tennis reward scheme – Ace Awards – to encourage youngsters to keep playing and have more fun while growing confidence and skills.
The Aces Tennis Academy is aimed at youngsters aged 5 and upwards. It provides a progressive and fun tennis pathway from complete beginners to ages 16. It runs alongside the LTA’s youth learning framework but with an extra serving of fun.
There’s lots of player reward and celebration when key stages are achieved – and it focuses on lots of different skills including tennis competency, social interaction, attitude and literacy. In-house competitions and encouragement help to build confidence with a healthy dose of competition too.
Macca Neaves, Head coach at Portsmouth Tennis Centre says,
“Our main aim behind Aces Awards is to motivate our players, speed up their development, and celebrate successes as they reach key stages on their tennis journey! Ace Awards has three levels to complete in each age category from 5 to 12 years with rewards at every stage, so there’s plenty of challenge for all ages and abilities!”
Local parent Sarah Hutchinson, whose children play regularly is already loving the new reward scheme. She said,
“My children absolutely love the animal themes. It has motivated them to work harder and move up to the next level. They are already talking about getting their first medals!”
On behalf of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of the Council (with portfolio responsibility for Culture, Leisure & Economic Development) said,
“We’re pleased to work in partnership with BH Live to provide a variety of sport and leisure activities to help our residents live happier and healthier lives, so we’re excited for the launch of this tennis scheme for children aged between 5 and 16 years old to try the sport.”
To find out more about tennis for young people in Portsmouth visit bhliveactive.org.uk/junior-coaching/
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
Photo-caption:
Coach John Taylor with one of the Red Stage Tennis groups at Portsmouth Tennis Centre
About BH Live
BH Live is a leading operator of leisure and event venues; a registered charity and social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives. For more visit bhlive.org.uk. Get social with us: LinkedIn, Twitter @BHLIVE_UK and Facebook @SocialEnterpriseBHLive
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Elizabeth Symmons, Head of Marketing E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk T: (01202) 055562
BH Live operates the following venues in partnership with Portsmouth City Council:
- Portsmouth Tennis Centre – Situated in the north of Portsmouth consisting of four indoor courts and six floodlit outdoor courts. A comprehensive coaching programme caters for all ages and abilities. Sessions are available for tots, juniors, and adults and also includes variations of the sport such as cardio tennis and touch tennis. For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk.Get social with us: Twitter @PortsTennis and Facebook @PortsmouthTC
- Mountbatten Leisure Centre – Portsmouth’s flagship leisure and event venue with swimming pools, a 150 station gym, eight-court sports hall, squash, spin and dance studios, a cycle velodrome, an athletics track, function suites with bars, a café and soft play facility.
It is also home to a Clip ‘N Climb leisure attraction which opened in 2018.
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk.Get social with us: Twitter and Facebook @mountbattenlc
- Pyramids Centre – one of Portsmouth’s leading leisure venues overlooking Southsea Beach and the Solent. It has state-of-the-art Technogym fitness equipment in a spacious gym with functional fitness, strength and cardio zones. There is a dedicated area for health assessments and people who are new to exercise, plus fitness tracking technology to help support people in reaching their activity goals.
Four activity studios provide a variety of daily exercise classes including Group Cycling, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), Yoga, Pilates and the Les Mills programme.
The centre is also home to Exploria, a themed play and bounce attraction which opened in 2021. A range of exciting experiences stimulate play and challenge children aged from 6 months upwards. A bounce zone includes a diving tower with an airbag, interactive games, themed slides agility parkour, battle beams and foam pits. The play zone includes ball pits, spider’s web and cargo climbing features, a rope bridge skywalk, bash bags, tunnels, rollers, beams and dodgeball shoot out. And the baby and toddler zone has all things Exploria but downsized for little ones. There is also a range of interactive games, a dedicated sensory room, four themed party rooms and a café serving snacks, light bites and drinks.
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk and exploria.org.uk
Get social with us: Twitter @PyramidsCentre
Facebook @Pyramids.Centre
- Portsmouth Gymnastics Centre – gymnastics hall with physiotherapy and a meeting room.
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk.
Get social with us: Facebook @PortsmouthGymnasticsCentre
- Wimbledon Park Sports Centre – sports hall with badminton and basketball courts
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk.
Get social with us: Facebook @WimbledonParkSportsCentre
- Charter Community Sports Centre – 20m swimming pool, 20 station gym, sports hall and an outdoor multi-use games area.
For more visit bhliveactive.org.uk.
Get social with us: Facebook @CharterCommunitySC