Finally the LTA strategy has been published on the internet. Not a massive document like the Draper blueprint, simply one powerpoint slide and a diagram:
Gobbledegook; requires interpretation as it could mean anything, good or bad. I suppose, being Canadian, he's not heard of the plain English campaign. Someone tell him, please.
Dear me, this is dreadful rubbish. I dread to think of the fine minds and money that has gone into this. Clubs need to be cheaper. more accessible and we need to get rid of the elitist perception of tennis. On the plus side, I completed my card on buzzword bingo. I'm sure that service users are probably mentioned too.
LTA and strategy do not go together! All the yes men that have been there for years are all still there. Hopelessly wrong on which kids to back, as in too few too early. Total clowns.
Finally the LTA strategy has been published on the internet. Not a massive document like the Draper blueprint, simply one powerpoint slide and a diagram:
The main point I would like to make is the graph on page 3, this shows tennis participation massively declines from age 10 to age 33, then starts to rise to a peak aged 69.
For me this is a massive issue in this country. For players aged between 11 to 32 (the best years of tennis playing ability) they are playing in a sport that is on a downward curve. Meaning that each year they would have less contemporaries to play against and find themselves playing against younger or older players.
Here are the parts of the strategy that could help this issue:
Maximise playing opportunities and help build a future workforce in colleges and universities. (i.e. reducing the amount of players who give up between School and Further Education - there are far too few teams operated by universities and as far as I know College Tennis does not exist in the UK)
Introduce recreational competitions for 6 to 18 year olds underpinned by being local, team focussed and fun to play. (i.e. reducing the amount of players who give up because they don't win every week or have to travel too far to compete)
Support the delivery of recreational competition for adults in parks (i.e. to hook people into competition who would usually just have a hit about with mates)
Modify junior tournaments creating a far less pressurised environment. (i.e. reduce the amount of players who give up due to the stress of competition)
Develop strong local park and other community tennis venue partnerships to deliver inclusive tennis provision for all. (i.e. reducing the amount of players who give up because they can't afford to join a club)
And this strategic plan (for 'community' tennis, whatever that means) pre-dates the Sport England one. It was actually all going to kick off back in 2007.
The LTA's latest plan is just another tennis wish list, to run along with all the others. It's one saving grace is its relative brevity, although it more than compensates with a Draper-style level of jargon and management speak, presumably used to make it sound more impressive and fool the gullible.
-- Edited by EddietheEagle on Monday 6th of July 2015 10:30:57 PM
And this strategic plan (for 'community' tennis, whatever that means) pre-dates the Sport England one. It was actually all going to kick off back in 2007.
The LTA's latest plan is just another tennis wish list, to run along with all the others. It's one saving grace is its relative brevity, although it more than compensates with a Draper-style level of jargon and management speak, presumably used to make it sound more impressive and fool the gullible.
-- Edited by EddietheEagle on Monday 6th of July 2015 10:30:57 PM
The pointy-haired boss from Dilbert would have been proud!