With Wimbledon still in our recent memories national sports charity Tennis For Free has served up an ace for Hull by investing in a year-long programme of free tennis sessions hoping hundreds of people across the area can make a racquet at Costello Park Stadium tennis courts. In an exciting partnership with the Hull City Council Tennis For Free will help provide free coach-led tennis sessions for all the family. The official launch will be Saturday 21 July between 10-11:30am and everyone is welcome. You dont need a racquet or a ball as all equipment is provided free of charge. Sign up for Tennis For Free Costello Park Stadium Tennis Courts now at www.tennisforfree.com.
Local tennis coach and lead site organiser Paul Holtby said: “We are all very excited to welcome Tennis For Free to Costello Park Stadium Tennis Courts. It is a fantastic opportunity for all members of the local community to get into the spirit of trying tennis for either the first time or to dust off the cobwebs and try again. The courts look great having been re-surfaced last year and we look forward to welcoming local people to the free sessions. You can bring your own racquet if you wish, but dont worry all equipment is provided and as the name suggests, everything is free!
Tennis For Free is a registered charity founded by comedian Tony Hawks and fashion executive Patrick Hollwey. It aims to provide healthy, vibrant local tennis communities for free on public park tennis courts creating new tennis players of all ages and backgrounds and showing that tennis can be enjoyed by all. Tennis For Free supporters include Judy Murray (mother of World No1 Andy), BBC tennis commentator Andrew Castle and ex Grand Slam winner Pat Cash.
Tennis For Free CEO, Paul Jessop said: We are very excited to be bringing Tennis For Free to Hull and for all the sites we are opening across the UK this year. All our sessions are very well suited to the whole family coming down and all playing tennis at the same time. There are no catches, all equipment is provided.
The sessions are perfect for that first taste of tennis or for getting back into the game in a fun and relaxed manner but with all equipment provided and coaches in attendance to help out. We hope many people, of all ages and abilities, will come and join us at the Saturday sessions.
Councillor Marjorie Brabazon, Chair of Hull Culture and Leisure Limited, said: We are delighted to have teamed up with Tennis for Free to offer free sessions to residents, regardless of ability and fitness levels. Tennis is a fun sport for all the family to play all year round, and especially after two gripping Wimbledon finals.
Our refurbished state-of-the-art tennis courts at Costello Playing Fields have been open a year now and have proved to be really popular. They are a great facility for anyone wanting to have a go and serve an ace!
Tennis For Free has plans to bring more than 175,000 new tennis players, 2,000 coaches and 5,000 volunteers into the sport over the next five years. The charity, which runs free community tennis sessions at public parks across the UK, is working with several partners to bring the opportunity to play the game to as many hard to reach communities as possible, benefiting those with limited access to sport, enhancing physical and mental well-being and re-energising people of all ages. The new partnerships will boost the network of free tennis schemes by hundreds nationwide, launching in Wales and Northern Ireland as well as increasing its sites in England and Scotland, making it a truly national community led programme.
Tennis For Free (TFF), which works with local authorities and tennis clubs up and down the country, currently funds around 200 professional tennis coaches who are supported by volunteers to offer weekly sessions to people of all ages and backgrounds at its 50 sites. Everything is free for participants – equipment is provided and there are no court hire costs. It will also bring more people, especially from disadvantaged communities, into physical activity and reinvigorate under-used local parks.
Sign up for Tennis For Free Costello Park Stadium Tennis Courts www.tennisforfree.com. You can also follow Tennis For Free on Twitter and Facebook @tennisforfree