FOLLOWING THROUGH

Q How do you see the state of tennis in the Far North in terms of junior and senior participation? A We have had quite strong junior participation in the Far North for some time now, via good club coaching programs and a strong series of tournaments called the Junior Development Series or JDS. We need to improve opportunities for our juniors to have more regular competition and matches outside of these tournaments, and one of the programs that we are working on is an interclub competition. The team component of tennis is important. Many Far North clubs run internal senior night fixtures, but there has been no proper interclub competition for more than 10 years. This has led to a large dropout rate of our better juniors after their teenage years, as there is not a lot to keep them interested in the sport. We are working on that and looking at interclub fixtures with new formats. Q What can local tennis clubs and players do to keep raising the standard of the game? A As I have said, we have many great clubs in our region running good coaching programs with good numbers. To raise the standard of our juniors, they need to have consistent match play where they are being challenged. Good collaboration within our region and with the northern region below us can help achieve this, along with other talent developmenttype programs. In terms of senior and adult players, the goal is to keep more juniors playing, and to have competitions and formats that appeal to different ages and standards of play.