Funding tennis opportunities One disability sports charity that is keen to embrace the momentum is The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust (DMTT). Set up in 1997, and named after the late Dan Maskell, affectionately known as the ‘voice of Wimbledon’, the trust raises funds to support people with disabilities who want to play tennis. Although tennis isn’t the only synergy between Dan and the trust, as he was also passionately in- terested in the rehabilitation of disabled people following his work as the RAF’s first ever rehabilitation officer. The four key areas within which the DMTT offers support are:
• Providing specialist wheelchairs for individuals, clubs, special schools and centres running disability programmes
• Providing equipment/coaching kitbags for coaches, clubs, special schools,
disability groups and associations
• Grant-aiding disability groups, associations, programmes and
individuals with a disability with financial aid towards tennis expenses
• Supporting disabled tennis players and appropriate programmes
Tennis is an inclusive sport and dis-
abled people can take part in any tennis activity. In particular, wheelchair tennis integrates very easily with the able- bodied game, as it can be played on any regular tennis court, with no modifica- tions required to rackets or balls. The only
difference is that players are allowed two bounces of the ball. Alongside wheelchair tennis, deaf ten-
nis and learning disability tennis can be played on regular tennis courts. Only blind and visually-impaired tennis is played on a smaller-scaled court – using smaller rackets and an audible ball.
Opportunity knock-a-bouts As executive director of the DMTT, I’ve worked in tennis for more than 30 years and know only too well the
opportunities that exist to improve par- ticipation rates in disability tennis. From the period 2005 – 2010, we re-
ceived an 800 per cent increase in the number of applications we received for grants and equipment from clubs, schools, organisations and individuals. Significantly, the number of applications from individuals was exponentially far in excess of those from clubs, schools and organisations. We know there are more than 20,000 people with a disability playing tennis
In 2007, Gordon Reid became Britain’s youngest Men’s Singles National Champion
The London 2012 Paralympic Games raised the profile of wheelchair tennis to many spectators and would-be players Issue 4 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Read Sports Management online
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