Comments on: Tennis Australia’s attention deficit problem

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 06 May 2007 09:36:27 +0000

From my experience as a parent of a player in Juniors competition, I fail to see why parents would keep their children in comp. The juniors in the lower grades are at such different levels. e.g. 9yo with 1yr of coaching once a week & has just begun playing a second season, plays a 12yo who has had 3-4yrs of coaching and some of that has been twice a week yet are playing their first season in the same grade. Of course 12yo blitzes 9yo. Has the 9yo (on coach’s advice), been put in comp too early. There is little rallying and no benefit to winner of loser except experience. Alot of parents would have to pull children out of comp through seeing the complete difference in age and ability not to mention watching their child get thumped every week and apparantely they’re supposed to be playing the same level.

There is a demand on parents to umpire. Alot of parents have no tennis background at all. Should the tennis clubs be providing an umpire?

Coaches should also have some attendance at the comps. How do parents know if they have the right coach? Where’s that sort of information?

By: Russ

Russ — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:51:48 +0000

I have nothing but scorn for officials who’ve somehow managed to make tennis an expensive sport. It should be an exceptionally cheap sport to play. You need what (at minimum)? A $50 racket, a few tennis balls, and a court. But try and find a court to play on…

For a sport that can cater for a decent number of players on limited space, and with comparatively minimal maintainence fees playing is excessively expensive and frustratingly difficult to organise. Membership runs into the hundred of dollars; without that you need to pay $10, plus call someone to organise a key and book a time. No wonder courts are empty 90% of the time when young players could be using them.

Sure, I’m not the future pro Tennis Australia needs, but like those future pros that aren’t I’d love to play tennis, and don’t, because it is a hassle. My friends and I play basketball or soccer where the court/field is free and accessible without any notice.

Needless to say, I find television advertisements imploring me to go down to my local court to play pretty annoying too.

By: Club Troppo » Missing Link - Anzac Day Special Edition

Club Troppo » Missing Link - Anzac Day Special Edition — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:42:10 +0000

[...] Phil at Sidelined turns his attention from cycling to tennis, providing an excellent backgrounder on declining participation in what used to be Australia’s ‘other’ Summer sport. [...]

By: Shaun

Shaun — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:11:59 +0000

Since sport have become a business, the grass roots for many sports has suffered.

That is not to say that elite sports can’t be a profit making venture, but if all you focus upon is the money then the importance of a good junior base is easily overlooked.