Judy Murray puts Girl Guides leaders through their paces in Eastbourne

Judy Murray put local Girls Guide leaders through their paces on the tennis courts of Eastbourne Park on Friday 25th June.  The session was part of the She Rallies programme that Murray founded with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). She Rallies is aimed at increasing and retaining the number of female players and coaches across the UK.

The event saw over 100 participants from local Girl Guiding units, their leaders and nearby tennis venues take part in a range of tennis activities in the morning and afternoon. Girl guide leaders and female volunteers (aged 18+) currently involved in community based tennis programmes for girls were trained specifically in delivering tennis to girls and many will now look to continue along the coaching pathway to support tennis delivery in Eastbourne.

The She Rallies programme aims to increase the number of female players and close the gap between the amount of male and female coaches in Great Britain, by providing a range of mentoring and support programmes for female coaches and those who want to get into coaching.

Jo-Anne Downing, LTA Product and Programme Manager said: “The Girl Guide leaders competed activator training today which is going to help them to drive a lot more engagement and interest with some really great tennis activities for all girls.  It’s part of a campaign with Girl Guiding and the LTA.”

The She Rallies Activators will be trained to deliver a number of programmes aimed at girls between the ages of 5 to 16, including Lil Miss-Hits - a tennis starter programme for 5 and 8 year olds, and Teen Girls’ Starter Tennis days, which will provide team activities for groups of teenage girls with an introduction to the skills needed to play tennis.