In April 2001, the Club launched ‘The Road to Wimbledon,’ a combined local and national junior tennis initiative aimed at giving thousands of juniors the chance to play tennis and at the home of The Championships.
The Road to Wimbledon’s mission is to encourage young people into the sport.
The Road to Wimbledon also includes a number of existing schemes/activities for juniors at The Championships or during the year.
These are in addition to the fact that every year the Club passes over the surplus - the profit - of The Championships to the Lawn Tennis Association for the development of British tennis throughout the country.
Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI)
Part of The Road to Wimbledon.
The Club’s dedicated coaching team, headed by Dan Bloxham, leads the way in delivering tennis coaching and promoting a fitness lifestyle and sports education programme in Merton and Wandsworth schools.
At local level, working with Merton and Wandsworth Councils, around 75,000 children have had the chance to have a go at the game in their school through the visit of the Club’s coaching team.
Coaching team have made 308 visits to schools in the area
Around 300 children per day also attend free tennis coaching and skills sessions held at the Club 45 weekends a year.
Squad of 45 selected players receive additional individual coaching before and after school.
AELTC now recognised as an official LTA Performance Centre as well as an accredited LTA Mini-Tennis Centre.
At the Championships: Selected players from the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI) entertain spectators with a mixture of tennis exercises and general sports skills and drills on the middle Saturday.
Around 250 children and their parents who have shown particular commitment and enthusiasm throughout the year will visit the Club to see the players practising on the Championship courts.
HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 and Under Challenge
The largest national junior grass court tournament involving some 20,000 young players.
The National Finals, 64 boys and 64 girls, made up of the 44 County winners and 20 best runners-up are held on Wimbledon’s Championship grass courts in August.
Museum Education Programme
Part of The Road to Wimbledon - launched in September 2001.
In the last year nearly 4000 children have taken part in activities (total of 15,500 since 2002).
Programme caters for 5-18 year olds and consists of Museum workshops, tours of the grounds and education room workshops directly linked to the National Curriculum.
The Primary School Programme is fun, interactive and hands-on.
Secondary School Programme, developed to meet the needs of students studying for GCSE and A-Level courses in Leisure and Tourism and PE, is very popular.
‘Playing for Success’ Study Support Centre
Operating since early 2003, the Playing for Success Study Support Centre is a joint initiative between the Club, the London Borough of Merton and the Department of Education and Skills.
Occupying a high-tech learning zone set in No. 1 Court, the SSC offers a stimulating after-school programme for pupils in Merton focussing on numeracy, literacy and IT and confidence raising activities.
Firm links established with over two-thirds of Merton’s local primary schools and the Centre also works with most secondary schools in the Borough.
In the last five years, around 1900 students have graduated at PfS award ceremonies at the end of their courses.
Around 385 pupils and five families have attended holiday learning programmes during school breaks.
Young Ambassadors
Ten young people from secondary schools in Merton have the opportunity to become tennis ambassadors by embarking on a year-long leadership and volunteering project thanks to a new joint venture between the All England Club and the Merton School Sports Partnership.
The 10 tennis ambassadors, nominated by their PE teachers, are already learning their skills from some of the country’s top tennis coaches as they support the development of the junior tennis players taking part in the Club’s Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI).
On completion of the project, the ambassadors will have a recognised qualification in tennis leadership which they can use only at their school, but also within the Borough. As importantly, they will walk away with leadership skills that can be transferred to any sports setting.
LTA Juniors
Part of The Road to Wimbledon.
As a further encouragement to British juniors, players from the LTA’s Futures Programme (boys aged 11-13, girls aged 10-13) will demonstrate tennis skills and exercises before play begins on the middle Saturday of The Championships.
Children’s tickets
Over 10,000 children attend each year specifically through dedicated junior ticket allocations to the 650 schools affiliated to the British Schools Tennis Association and as members of parties accompanied by an LTA licensed coach.
Ball Boys and Ball Girls
Around 400 pupils from local schools compete annually for the prestige of being selected as one of the 220 ball boys/girls at The Championships.
Coin Tossing
Ceremonies
Since 2001 the coin toss before each of the Singles’ Finals has been performed by representatives (usually a young person) of charities nominated by prominent people within tennis chosen by the Chairman of the Club.
