How Judy Murray is guiding girls to be the nation’s next tennis coaches
Judy Murray is to spearhead a campaign to train girl guides to be the next generation of tennis coaches.
The mother of Grand Slam champions Andy and Jamie Murray has teamed up with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Girlguiding to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the sport.
She will lead LTA She Rallies coaching workshops with Rangers – girls aged 14 to 18 who are young leaders – equipping them with the leadership and coaching skills to deliver tennis sessions to girls in the Rainbow and Brownie groups where they volunteer.
The pilot is the first time Girlguiding has linked with a sporting governing body in this way.
Murray, 60, said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting some fantastic young women through this project and equipping them with the skills to help us engage more women and girls in tennis.
“The LTA She Rallies programme has already had success in doing this, but there is more we can do and new initiatives like this are a great addition. It is crucial that we continue to show young women and girls that they can be leaders in whatever their chosen profession.
“Tennis has historically led the way for equality in sport in terms of playing, but we want to encourage more young women into positions of leadership in tennis.”
The first pilot workshop will be held in Bristol in May, followed by five other leadership training days over the summer in Edinburgh, Ilkley, Birmingham, Hertford and Eastbourne.
The campaign comes after findings from Girlguiding’s Girls’ Attitudes survey found almost half (46 per cent) of girls aged 11 to 21 want to see more representation of women in sport.
Launched in 2017 in partnership with Murray, LTA She Rallies works to develop a female workforce to create more opportunities for women and girls in tennis.
Girlguiding is the largest voluntary organisation in the UK for girls and young women and has more than half a million members.