124THERE ARE NOW 180 VENUES IN TOTALAEGON Parks Tennis2011 saw an increasing level of support for community based tennis projects through the AEGON Parks Tennis programme.The AEGON Parks Tennis programme is part of the LTA's wider strategy to increase opportunities for people to participate in the sport and access coaching and appropriate competitive opportunities in communities across Britain.To become part of the AEGON Parks Tennis programme and be awarded Beacon status, tennis sites have to demonstrate a real commitment to making tennis more accessible and affordable in their local communities to people of all ages and abilities.Achieving this status gives these places a host of benefits including national recognition as a quality tennis venue, additional support from their local Tennis Development Manager and opportunities to promote themselves via the LTA website. Go to page 14 to see some examples of what Beacon sites are offering tennis players all across the country.Having enough places to play tennis based on demand and population density across Britain is essential for sustained participation growth to happen. This year has seen the LTA, in partnership with the Tennis Foundation and Sport England, invest £7.1 million in capital projects across Britain, an increase of £1.9 million from 2010.Through the established places to play strategy this investment is put into new projects that will maximise the potential number of playing hours available (i.e. indoor courts and floodlights) and in existing places to play that have a commitment to a certain standard of tennis delivery.There are many projects that have benefitted from this investment throughout Britain, including: Telford Tennis Centre which is a new build with four indoor and four outdoor courts, these have led to 27,740 potential playing hours being created. Marshfield Tennis Club is a completely new venue which is made up of four floodlit courts and a clubhouse, this has created 17,520 playing hours for the local community and Corby Indoor Tennis Centre has received six new floodlit courts which have contributed 26,280 playing hours.Further examples of the variety of tennis environments to receive investment can be seen here. To find out more about the AEGON Parks Tennis programme go to the clubs, parks and schools area of the LTA website.PARTICIPATIONPLACESNUMBER OF TENNIS VENUES AWARDED BEACON STATUS IN 2011Investing in places to play at parks, clubs, schools and tennis centresi6

AEGON Schools TennisThis year the LTA, in partnership with the Tennis Foundation and Lead Partner AEGON, continued to invest in schools tennis across Britain. This investment is aligned to the Schools tennis strategy published in 2009 that aims to provide opportunities for all children and young people to participate in high quality tennis in schools. Making this happen will mean investing in a number of different areas of work including facility development, school-club links, teacher training and support and equipment to name a few. One of the highlights of 2011 was the 10,000th school receiving free teacher training, resources and equipment through the AEGON Schools Tennis programme. The programme helps reduce the barriers to entry for kids and making it easier for them to start playing.Case study: Diamond Tennis Academy (DTA) DTA is a great example of a tennis venue that is focused on increasing the opportunities for people to get involved in tennis.This year, in recognition of the fantastic work the team at DTA have been doing to offer high quality, affordable tennis, they were awarded Beacon status as part of the AEGON Parks Tennis programme. Director and Head Coach at DTA, Sena Tengay, was presented with the accolade by Derek Howorth, former President of the LTA, in recognition of his teams work to help more people play tennis."Through our links in both schools and the local community we are able to stimulate interest in tennisand continue developing many of those players, helping them make the most of their ability."PARTICIPATION12,5154,202 IN 2011 91%(FROM 66 TO 126)SIXTYPlaces to Play RegistrationPlaces to play registration replaced club affiliation on 1st October 2010. This change means that all places to play now pay a registration fee to their County Association based on the number of courts they have access to on a regular basis, rather than the number of members linked to their venue which acted as a disincentive for tennis clubs to increase their membership.The standardised fee is applicable to tennis clubs as well as a broad variety of non traditional tennis venues such as parks, university clubs, indoor pay and play centres and programmes based on school sites. This change saw a rise in the number of registered places to play to 2,657 in 2011 compared to 2,464 in 2010. The change also meant that 80% of places to play pay less to their County Association than they have done in the past. Places to play are investing this additional income in local level projects that are supporting them to increase participation. Case study:Barnton Park LTC, EdinburghNUMBER OF SCHOOLS SUPPORTED THROUGH AEGON SCHOOLS TENNISJUNIOR MEMBERSHIP INCREASED BYGROWTH IN NUMBERS ATTENDING COACHING SESSIONS - AVERAGE OFJUNIORS EVERY SATURDAYSena Tengay5 court club (2 floodlit)Saved - £2,000School club link programmeTaster sessionsOpen daysInter school competitionINVESTED SAVINGS IN7