FEMALE LEADERSHIP SCHEME

The Female Leadership Scheme, subsidised by Kent Tennis and the LTA Tennis Foundation, aims to help females, regardless of age or playing ability, not only overcome obstacles and improve their on-court coaching skills, but also meet inspirational women in tennis who can open their eyes to potential career paths. The scheme involved a mix of group days and individual mentoring. There was a core group of seven females who attended every session and received mentoring, with an additional five female coaches attending some of the group days.

Training included a session with LUSU inclusive tennis experts:

• Louise Assioun (disability tennis) spoke about her journey to becoming Team Manager of the Invictus Games.

• Naomi Cavaday shared her journey from professional player to working in the media with Radio 5 Live and Sky Sports.

• Sandi Procter talked about her experiences, from starting as a tennis coach in Scotland to becoming LTA President and beyond.

• Kate Green described her journey from professional player to running her own business.

• Chloe Ayling spoke about her experiences of moving from working full-time in the police to choosing a new career and running her own tennis business.

Quote from Jenny Chambers, who attended every session (pictured eighth from the left in the group photo above):

“The Female Leadership course has been a great initiative to bring female coaches together to share knowledge, ideas, insights and wisdom. Through this course I have encountered and learnt from ex-professionals, which is a rare opportunity. Meeting Naomi Cavaday was a real treat. To learn from someone who has actually experienced playing at a professional level, and to hear about the challenges and issues she faced, gave me such valuable insight. This has really helped me not just as a coach but as a person as well. It’s a real privilege to be able to participate in this course.”

The course inspired one coach to build the confidence to enrol on her Level 4 course, while another secured a job coaching Mini Red players after completing her Level 2 qualification. Others have completed their Level 3 qualification, another has set up her own coaching programme, and several have gone on to achieve documented success.