Anyone for Tennis? Across North Yorkshire, thanks to the York Disability Tennis Network, tennis really is for anyone. The thriving York Disability Tennis Network offers tennis for all ages, all abilities and all disabilities through the Tennis Foundation’s disability tennis grassroots programme. Local coaches Andy Crockett and Jill King formed the group in April 2014 and can now add Special Olympics GB gold medalists to their list of achievements.
The not-for-profit group provides specialist inclusive tennis sessions for players who have a visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability or learning disability across York. ‘For us no barrier is insurmountable’ explained Level 3 Tennis Coach, Andy Crockett. ‘We really do cater for anyone. Any perceived barriers will be knocked down and overcome!’. Sessions run year-round all across York, in schools, at David Lloyd, Rowntree Park and Wigginton Tennis Club.
The network now boasts around 70 active tennis players along with many success stories to boot, the most recent coming from the Special Olympics GB, held in Sheffield last month. The Special Olympics is the largest sporting event in the UK for people with learning disabilities. The team of 6 representing Yorkshire & Humberside brought 8 medals back up the M1 with them - 6 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze in the singles and doubles events. 18 year old William Farrow, who has Downs Syndrome, and 26 year old Laura Campbell, who has autism, both won gold in the singles events. Cameron Long took silver whilst Matthew Brough also brought home a bronze in the singles tournament. The gold rush continued in the doubles with William and Cameron winning the men’s event and Laura and Matthew triumphing in the mixed. ‘The players have been courting the local media in York ever since!’ said Andy. ‘We cheekily challenged the presenters from Radio York to a match against our Special Olympics team – we thrashed them but they were good sports!’.
For Andy, the Special Olympics were a memorable experience and he hopes that some of the players may have the opportunity go to the world games in Abu Dhabi in March next year. ‘Day to day it is just so rewarding showing people what is possible’ said Andy. ‘Recently we had a 7 year old boy with very little movement attend one of our mainstream sessions. We just get an extra volunteer in to help and adapt the activities for him as we go along. He just loves being included’.
Andy’s specialism in disability tennis started by chance after he attended a Visually Impaired tennis training course in Leeds run by the Tennis Foundation. ‘I really enjoyed the course and felt like I had the patience and skills to be good at working with disabled players’ explained Andy. From there Andy also gained qualifications in wheelchair tennis, learning disability tennis and deaf tennis. Andy’s role has taken him abroad to the International Blind Tennis Congress in Texas and has seen him become a member of the National Visually Impaired Advisory Committee which aims to promote and grow the game. ‘I am even starting to learn a bit of sign language now too!’ said Andy.
The York Disability Tennis Network was recognised as Club of the Year at the Yorkshire Disability Sport Awards in Leeds in March 2016. Andy also won Coach of the Year at the same event. ‘What is really needed now to help disability tennis continue to grow is more coaches who are passionate about the sport and have the skills needed to work with disabled people’ explained Andy. ‘Some of the players themselves are starting to take their qualifications. Laura Campbell, who won gold in Sheffield is now a Level 1 and hopes to become a Level 2 in the future’.
Anyone who is interested in getting involved with the York Disability Tennis Network can find more information on their website www.ydtn.org.uk. For more information about disability tennis in the UK and the work of the Tennis Foundation visit www.tennisfoundation.org.uk.
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Suzzi Garnett – Regional Tennis Services Assistant – [email protected] – 0208 487 7040
• The Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) mission is to get more people playing tennis more often, and its role is to develop, promote and govern tennis in Britain.
• The Tennis Foundation is Great Britain’s leading tennis charity with a vision to make tennis inclusive and accessible to all.
• York Disability Tennis Network is a not for profit organisation which was started in April 2014 by Andy Crockett & Jill King.
• The York Disability Tennis Network provides specialist disability sessions for those who wish to play socially with like-minded individuals or for those who wish to compete within a specialist disability tennis category to any level. This includes Blind Tennis, Deaf Tennis, Learning Disability Tennis (in conjunction with Special Olympics City Of York SOCOY) and Wheelchair Tennis at a number of venues around York.
• For more information about the York Disability Tennis Network visit www.ydtn.org.uk
• For more information on the LTA and British tennis, visit: www.lta.org.uk For more information on the work of the Tennis Foundation visit: www.tennisfoundation.org.uk
Picture1: Yorkshire & Humberside Special Olympics team vs Radio York!
Picture 2: (L to R) Cameron Long (silver), William Farrow (gold), Laura Campbell (gold), Matthew Brough (bronze).
Picture 3: Andy Crockett (bottom right)