PLAY AND STAY
The ITF "Play and Stay" campaign was launched in Ireland on the 7th July. This worldwide campaign, which is aimed at increasing tennis participation, centers around the slogan ‘Serve, Rally and Score’ and promotes tennis as easy, fun and healthy.
The campaign involves all the major tennis nations (including the four Grand Slams), tennis manufacturers, as well as the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
The ITF has created a new website to help all national associations, clubs and coaches to promote and apply the main slogan of the programme: “Serve, Rally and Score”. The main emphasis is in:
- Use of adapted equipment: slower red, orange or green balls in both training and competition. Beginners using slower balls are able to rally and therefore enjoy the game much more quickly. Detailed information on each type ball is available on http://www.tennisplayandstay.com/the-ball-is-key/specifications.html
- Introduction of competitive play early: Competitions can be great fun for all levels of player if they are tailored to their needs and lifestyles, including time constraints. Instead of using single elimination formats, it is recommended to use formats that involve players playing more than one match (round robin/feed in events/compass draws etc.) Click in the following links for further information: Tennis Competition Workshop and Play & Stay Tennis Competitions Home Page.
- Use a rating system like the ITN to organize matches between players of similar standards.
For further information on the Play and Stay campeign have a look at the ITF website - www.tennisplayandstay.com. If you would like advice on how to implement the principles of the play and stay campeign in your club or on where to find the correct equipment please e-mail us.