Dorset Tennis is aligned with the LTA Vision of Tennis Opened Up and the LTA Inclusion Strategy to open tennis up to everyone, to make it inclusive and accessible for all.  All staff and volunteers are committed to help our clubs, venues, coaches and volunteers to be more open and inclusive within their own communities. We encourage our facilities to open their doors and welcome new members from all backgrounds and abilities.

LTA Inclusion Strategy


OPEN COURT PROGRAMME

The LTA's Open Court Programme is a national scheme that actively promotes and delivers opportunities for disabled people to get involved in tennis and padel. Partnered with and jointly funded by Sport England, the programme provides disability specific sessions for tennis and padel  including adaptations for learning disability, wheelchair, visually impaired and deaf. The programme is also being expanded into other long-term health conditions such as mental health and dementia. 

The LTA has developed a package of equipment and support to enable venues to increase opportunities for disabled people through being part of their Open Court Programme.  This includes :

  • Provision of an adaptive equipment bag with rackets, balls, net and range of equipment (worth £350) to help make sessions flexible and fun.
  • 'Flying visits' with your coaches, volunteers and venue staff by disabiity development experts, providing disability awareness training so they may assess their accessibility and inclusion offer.
  • Funding support to cover start-up costs and get your activities up and running so that you may have time to make them sustainable in the long term.
  • Support with marketing and communications, enabling you to effectively communicate with your local disability community
  • Invitation to networking events.
  • Access to the LTA's Disability Development Partners as ongoing support to help overcome any barriers you may face in your quest to be more inclusive.

Find out more about the LTA's Open Court Programme and apply to be part of the Programme here

LTA Inclusion & Disability Tennis


 

stc success story

David Sanger is Dorset's Lead for the programme. David coaches at Southbourne Tennis Club and runs an excellent Disability Tennis programme which includes sessions for Wheelchair Tennis, Learning Disabilities Tennis, Visually Impaired Tennis, Downs Syndrome Tennis, Dementia Tennis, fully inclusive tennis and a Special Schools tennis programme.

Read this Success Story produced by the LTA about Southbourne Tennis Club : 'How an Award-Winning Far-Reaching Disabiity Programme is Opening Tennis Up in Dorset'

Download here

David can be contacted should you have any ideas, questions or need advice on how to make your venue more inclusive.

David Sanger : davesanger@gmail.com


Funding

Dorset Tennis in conjunction with Active Dorset, has funding available for venues who wish to make their venue more inclusive by providing opportunities for disability tennis.

If you wish to enquire about funding, please e-mail info@dorsetlta.co.uk


Open Your Doors Training

There is an Open Your Doors 2 hour online disability-inclusion module open to people within a club, park, community and the education landscape who want to make their venue more inclusive. It also supports everyone involved in tennis; coaches, volunteers, committee members and venue staff. When you have finished this course, you will have a better understanding and more detailed knowledge of the following:

  • What ‘inclusion’ and ‘accessibility’ really means
  • The barriers of participation in tennis by disabled people
  • How to overcome some of these through positive change
  • How the LTA can support you both inclusively and through their Open Court Programme

Book on a course here