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Title

ITF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Abstract

The ITF Development Programme is funded jointly by the ITF and the Grand Slams. In 2008 US$4,437,560 was spent on a number of different initiatives and projects of which US$1,709,493 from the Grand Slams via the Grand Slam Development Fund, US$2,140,118 from the ITF and US$587,948 from Olympic Solidarity. The projects supported include:

Keywords

Development, ITF

Summary

Junior Circuits
The Development programme ensures that a structure is in place that makes it possible for the most naturally gifted players to pursue their dreams to the highest level, no matter which country they come from. The player development programme is based on the concept of a ‘Pyramid of Opportunity,’ which aims to provide talented youngsters with the opportunity to progress through the international junior circuit and to make a breakthrough into the top levels of professional tennis.
An integral part of this structure is offering competitive opportunities in less developed tennis regions. In 2008, 25 regional junior events (18, 16 and 14 & U) took place across five continents with financial assistance as well as technical assistance from the ITF Development Officers. The competitions provide the opportunity for the players from each country to test themselves against the best in their region.

ITF / Grand Slam Touring Teams
The players performing the best in the circuits are selected to progress to the next stage of the ‘pyramid’, the ITF/Grand Slam Junior Touring Team programme. In 2008 there were 19 ITF Touring Teams involving 160 players from 68 different countries (see attachment 1 for a full list of the players that were selected onto ITF / Grand Slam Touring Teams in 2008).
The ITF/Grand Slam Junior Touring Team programme is probably the most high profile initiative of the Development programme, and the flagship team is undoubtedly the ITF/Grand Slam International 18 & Under Junior Team to Europe which plays a series of Grade 1 and Grade A events including junior Roland Garros and junior Wimbledon.
The team finished with a flourish at Wimbledon this year with two ITF team members, Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) and Henri Kontinen (FIN), vying for the coveted girls’ and boys’ singles titles respectively. In the girls’ singles final, Lertcheewakarn faced 14-year-old Laura Robson of Great Britain in a close final which saw Robson win 63 36 61. Kontinen faced the fourth seed, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, in the boys’ singles final, losing 63 75.
Kontinen also proved to be a formidable doubles player during the year, partnering Christopher Rungkat (INA) to clinch the boys’ doubles titles at the Astrid Bowl, junior Roland Garros and the International Junior Tennis Championships at Roehampton.
Other notable results include the two singles titles that Henrique Cunha (BRA) won in Santa Croce and at the boys’ invitational event at Queen’s. Cunha also teamed up with Cesar Ramirez from Mexico to win the boys’ doubles title in Milan. Not to be outdone by the boys, Elena Bogdan of Romania also showed that she is one to watch in the future by reaching the girls’ singles final at Roland Garros.
Lertcheewakarn as a member of the ITF/Grand Slam International 18 & Under Junior Team to North America clinched the girls’ doubles title with her partner Sandra Roma (SWE). Fellow ITF teammate Mirza Basic (BIH) won the boys’ singles title in the Kentucky, and there was also victory in the girls’ doubles for Indonesian duo Jessy Rompies and Beatrice Gumulya.

Travel Grants
In addition to the competitive opportunities provided through regional development circuits and teams, the Grand Slam Development Fund also provides travel grants for talented players to play entry-level professional events in order to help with the transition from the junior circuit to the professional circuit. In 2008, 22 players from 13 countries were awarded travel grants to play a specific programme of events outside of their own country.

ITF Facility Grants
Many national associations do not have their own national tennis centre and are forced to rent private facilities in order to conduct player training or competitions. The ITF is able to help through facility grants, which are available to help national associations build or refurbish their own centre. Although grants are usually only a small percentage of the overall building cost, the ITF grant often acts as an endorsement and as a catalyst to enable associations to attract other funding whether from the government or private sector. National associations benefiting from facility grants in 2008 were as follows:

 Bangladesh
 Barbados
 Bolivia
 Fiji
 Myanmar
 Togo

Professional Tournaments
The Development programme also continues to provide prize-money grants to assist less developed tennis nations to host entry-level professional events for men and women and in doing so, to help increase competitive opportunities in less developed tennis regions of the world. In 2008, the fund provided grants for 55 weeks of Men’s professional events and 34 weeks of ITF Women’s circuit events.
In addition to international professional events, there were also 10 ITF / CAT Prize-Money Circuit events in Africa in 2008. These events are open solely to African players (juniors and seniors alike) and aim to provide additional competitive opportunities on the continent.

Development Officers
Without doubt, the implementation of many of the ITF development initiatives would not be possible were it not for the ongoing efforts of the ITF Development Officers who continue to advise and assist National Associations in every corner of the globe. The ITF Development Officers each spent an average of 30 weeks on the road working with National Associations, players and coaches, and monitoring development projects. In 2008, there were ten full-time Development Officers:

Amine Ben Makhlouf Development Officer, West and Central Africa
Karl Davies Development Officer, Southern Africa
Prince Madema Development Officer, East Africa
Carlos Rodriguez Development Officer, Central America
Anthony Jeremiah Development Officer, Caribbean
Miguel Miranda Development Officer, South America
Hrvoje Zmajic Development Officer, Europe
Dan O’Connell Development Officer, Pacific Oceania
Suresh Menon Development Officer, Asia
Anis Bouchlaka Development Officer, West Asia

Also in 2008, as part of the Olympic Solidarity Development of a National Coaching Structure Programme, Doug MacCurdy conducted a one-year project in India in which he worked with the All India Tennis Association (AITA) on their high-level player training and coaches education programmes. This one-year project is jointly funded by the ITF, Olympic Solidarity (OS) and AITA.

Coaches Education
One of the most important areas of activity for the ITF is coaches education and it is encouraging to see an increasing number of ITF member nations working with the Development department to put in place their own certification programme. In 2008, 92 courses were held including 25 Level 1 courses, 12 Level 2 courses and 28 Play Tennis courses with 28 of them being funded by Olympic Solidarity.
The ITF has three levels of approved syllabi which are available in more than 20 languages. In conducting these courses, the ITF recognises the importance of making sure that the course syllabi meet the needs of coaches and federations. To this end, in July 2008, a pilot ‘updated’ Level 1 Coaches Course was held in Sri Lanka. The new 12-day course is directed at coaches who are interested in promoting tennis at the beginner to intermediate player level.
In addition, six regional coaches conferences were held in 2008 across five continents, ensuring coaches were updated on the latest tennis coaching and sport science findings. More than 800 coaches attended the conferences, which are held biennially.
One of the goals of the coaches education programme is to ensure that the latest coaching information is easily accessible by as many coaches of the ITF’s member nations as possible. With this in mind, in July 2007, the ITF Development department launched the tennis iCoach website (www.tennisicoach.com) which now boasts more than 8,000 members. Tennis iCoach uses the most up-to-date technology to provide coaches and players from all over the world with the opportunity to improve their coaching knowledge easily and effectively. At the end of 2008, a Spanish version of the tennis iCoach website was launched and it is hoped that this will appeal to many of the Spanish-speaking nations in the Americas, Europe and Africa.

Olympic Solidarity
As 2008 was an Olympic year, it is only fitting to acknowledge the continued support the ITF and its member nations receive from Olympic Solidarity (OS). OS is the part of the International Olympic Committee that distributes television income from the Olympic Games to National Olympic Committees through its own development programme. Since the reintroduction of tennis into the Olympic family at Seoul in 1988, the ITF, through the Development department, has collaborated closely with OS on a variety of programmes designed to help tennis grow around the world.
In addition to technical course grants, OS also provided Olympic coaches scholarships in 2008 for Ilou Lonfo (CIV), Paulo Massardo (CHI) and Juan Galarza (ARG) to undergo an intensive course of high-level training, practical experience and theoretical study in Valencia, Spain.
OS also helped to fund a number of talented young tennis players through the OS training grants for athletes programme. Beijing Olympian Rafael Arevalo of El Salvador, who won a round at the Olympic Games before losing to Roger Federer in the second round, was one of the recipients in 2008, as well as 2006 and 2007.
Olympic Solidarity also supports the Development programme through Olympic Training Grants, awarding athletes who have the potential to compete in future Olympic Games with scholarships to train at high-level training centres. In 2008 OS provided nine Olympic Solidarity Training Grants for Young Athletes to the following players to enable them to train at high-level centres in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games:

Name Nation Date of birth
Komlavi Loglo Togo 30.12.84
Rafael Arevalo El Salvador 4.7.86
Lofo Ramiaramanana Madagascar 14.6.89
Petru Luncanu Romania 7.5.89
Marcin Gawron Poland 25.5.88
Amina Rakhim Kazakhstan 22.2.89
Ricardas Berankis Lithuania 21.6.90
Uladzimir Ignatik Belarus 14.7.90
Abigail Tere-Apisah Papua New Guinea 13.7.92

ITF Training Centres
The ITF continued to operate three ITF training centres in Fiji, Pretoria and Senegal in 2008. Those attending on a full-time basis still continue their schooling at local schools and many of the players attending the three ITF centres are benefiting from Olympic Solidarity scholarships as a result of their performance at regional competitions.
The ITF / SATA African Training Centre is based in Pretoria, South Africa with players using the facilities at the University of Pretoria. In 2008, the following 13 players attended the ITF African Training Centre on a full-time basis, the majority receiving either full or half scholarships to finance their stay.
The ITF / OTF Pacific Oceania Regional Training Centre is based in Lautoka, Fiji. In 2008, there were 11 players from the region on full-time scholarships residing at the Centre.
The ITF/CAT Francophone Training Centre is based in Dakar, Senegal. In 2008, there were 8 players from the region on full-time scholarships residing at the Centre.

ITF Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI)
The Junior Tennis Initiative encompasses three of the ITF’s most fundamental tennis development programmes for players aged between 6 and 14 years:

 Mini-tennis (School Tennis Initiative)
 Performance player training and tournaments (Performance Tennis Initiative)
 The provision of equipment (Equipment Distribution Programme)

Countries involved in the JTI are expected to put together, in conjunction with the ITF Development Officers, their own Junior Tennis Initiative (in effect a 14 & Under player development programme). This ensures that there is a logical link between the regional circuits funded by the ITF and the 14 & Under programmes organised at national level. Now operating in more than 70 countries, the JTI gives children their first taste of tennis and a large proportion of competitors in the ITF 14 & Under regional events have come through the ITF-funded JTI.
In the Pacific Oceania region, the STI and PTI programmes are supported by ANZ Bank. Many of the players that started out playing in the ANZ mini-tennis programmes have progressed through to the ITF Training Centre in Fiji and are now studying in USA on tennis scholarships, and representing Pacific Oceania in Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.

ITF Equipment Distribution Programme (EDP)
Many of the ITF member nations still find it difficult to obtain equipment for its national tennis programmes. The ITF’s Equipment Distribution Programme is able to help nations by providing ITF branded equipment (rackets, balls, strings), free of charge, for use by national associations. In 2008 alone, more than 100 national associations benefited from the ITF Equipment Distribution Programme, with the following quantities being distributed throughout the year:

 Rackets: 5,111
 Mini-tennis bats: 7,468
 Balls: 202,236 balls (16,853 dozen)
 Mini-tennis nets: 696
 Strings: 1,164 x 200m reels

Training Camps
Training is also an essential part of any tennis players’ programme. The ITF organises training camps on a regional basis, which enables some of the best players in the region to not only practice together, but also helps to educate and update coaches from the region in high-level training methods. Six ITF junior training camps took place in 2008 as follows:

 11 – 20 January: North East European Regional Training Camp – Lithuania
 01 – 10 May: East African Training Camp – Burundi
 03 – 07 July: South East European Training Camp –Turkey
 01 – 10 August: Central Asian Training Camp – Uzbekistan
 28 September – 12 October: Southern African Training Camp – South Africa
 27 October – 02 November: ITF / COTECC Regional Training Camp – USA

Tennis…Play and Stay centres around the slogan “Serve Rally and Score” and seeks to promote tennis as easy, fun and healthy. Fundamental to the campaign is the use of slower red, orange and green balls by coaches working with starter players, which help to ensure that the first experience of tennis is positive, involving playing the game (serving, rallying and scoring).

Since Play and Stay launched in 2007, over 110 nations have introduced 2 or more of the slower balls. Below is a selection of the most significant activity to take place
• US launched ‘Quickstart Tennis’ a ‘slower balls, smaller courts’ format, live on ESPN, with the help of Martina Navratilova and reports confirmed that the sales of kids rackets in the US were up 80% in 2008
• Australia promoted their version of Play and Stay each day on court in Margaret Court Arena, during the Australian Open
• France adopted the Red, Orange and Green terminology for their very successful ‘Tennis Evolutif’ programme
• The Spanish version of the Play and Stay website was launch through tennisplayandstay.com
• Play and Stay promotional video featuring top players including; Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic and Rafael Nadal launched and translated into 7 languages
• Davis and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas hosted promotions in numerous nations including: Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, US, including at the 2008 Davis Cup Final
• DTB launched a Play and Stay website in German
• China began a 3-year operations plan for spreading Play and Stay nationwide

Furthermore, ‘Tennis10s’ a project related to 10 and under tennis (see below) and a campaign focusing on adult tennis are currently being developed as part of the overall Play and Stay campaign.

Tennis 10s
Tennis10s in the competitive element of 10 and under tennis, and will provide an appropriate competitive structure for children in this age group, with guidance on how players can progress between the Red, Orange and Green stages, before moving on to yellow ball tennis on a full-sized court. A major part of Tennis10s is that in 2010, the ITF will ask member nations to vote on a rule that, at a minimum, removes the use of yellow balls in 10 and under competition, instead only slower red, orange, and green balls will be used. If the rule is passed, then it will be implemented from 2012, giving nations enough time to adapt their competitive structures to these changes.

Title 2º

Tennis…Play and Stay

Abstract 2º

Tennis…Play and Stay centres around the slogan “Serve Rally and Score” and seeks to promote tennis as easy, fun and healthy. Fundamental to the campaign is the use of slower red, orange and green balls by coaches working with starter players, which help to ensure that the first experience of tennis is positive, involving playing the game (serving, rallying and scoring).

Keywords 2º

Play and Stay, Tennis 10s

Summary 2º

Since Play and Stay launched in 2007, over 110 nations have introduced 2 or more of the slower balls. Below is a selection of the most significant activity to take place
• US launched ‘Quickstart Tennis’ a ‘slower balls, smaller courts’ format, live on ESPN, with the help of Martina Navratilova and reports confirmed that the sales of kids rackets in the US were up 80% in 2008
• Australia promoted their version of Play and Stay each day on court in Margaret Court Arena, during the Australian Open
• France adopted the Red, Orange and Green terminology for their very successful ‘Tennis Evolutif’ programme
• The Spanish version of the Play and Stay website was launch through tennisplayandstay.com
• Play and Stay promotional video featuring top players including; Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic and Rafael Nadal launched and translated into 7 languages
• Davis and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas hosted promotions in numerous nations including: Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, US, including at the 2008 Davis Cup Final
• DTB launched a Play and Stay website in German
• China began a 3-year operations plan for spreading Play and Stay nationwide

Furthermore, ‘Tennis10s’ a project related to 10 and under tennis (see below) and a campaign focusing on adult tennis are currently being developed as part of the overall Play and Stay campaign.

Tennis 10s
Tennis10s in the competitive element of 10 and under tennis, and will provide an appropriate competitive structure for children in this age group, with guidance on how players can progress between the Red, Orange and Green stages, before moving on to yellow ball tennis on a full-sized court. A major part of Tennis10s is that in 2010, the ITF will ask member nations to vote on a rule that, at a minimum, removes the use of yellow balls in 10 and under competition, instead only slower red, orange, and green balls will be used. If the rule is passed, then it will be implemented from 2012, giving nations enough time to adapt their competitive structures to these changes.

CV

Name

Dave

Surname

Miley

Curriculum vitae

Dave is the ITF Executive Director of Tennis Development and is responsible for overseeing the juniors, seniors and wheelchair activities of the ITF as well as the ITF Development Programme. Since joining the ITF in 1991 he has visited over 100 countries advising National Associations, conducting coaches’ workshops and directing junior training programmes. Dave has been involved in the writing of many of the ITF’s coach education publications including: the Advanced Coaches Manual; the ITF Schools Tennis Initiative Teachers Manual; and the ITF’s “Being a Better Tennis Parent”. Dave has been a British LTA Level 3 Professional Coach since 1984, was Irish Men’s Doubles Champion in 1984 and 1987 and is a former captain of the Irish National Men’s Team.

History

Member for

1 year 14 weeks