Sutton Sports Village achieves LTA Local Player Development Centre Status
Sutton Sports Village is to be part of the LTA performance 10 year vision as a Local Player Development Centre.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has named 50 tennis centres across the country that will act as Local Player Development Centres (LPDCs), marking the next milestone in the development of the new ten-year Performance Strategy for tennis in Britain.
The new player pathway is specifically designed to enable the best British players to train and compete regularly with one another at every stage of their development, and the LPDCs provide an important first step on the clear route from beginners’ mini-red level tennis to major tournament success. With the opening of the LPDC network, high potential junior players from the age of seven will receive support and opportunities to play the sport locally.
The LPDCs will provide affordable, high-quality local training for young children, with those with the greatest potential able to progress their tennis development at one of 11 Regional Player Development Centres (RPDCs).
The new performance strategy is led by LTA Performance Director Simon Timson and aims to make Britain one of the most respected nations in the world for tennis player development. The entire player pathway will be underpinned by investment in a specialist coaching workforce for every age and stage of the pathway and a clear player development philosophy, as well as a focus on players’ physical and emotional wellbeing.
LTA’s Chief Executive Scott Lloyd said: “We are delighted to announce our 50 LPDCs that represent the first step on a seamless player pathway and will create opportunities for young players to develop their tennis talents.
“This is the latest development in the implementation of our new Performance Strategy, which marks a step-change in the LTA’s approach to developing a pipeline of future tennis champions.
“With the success of British players in recent years, tennis in Britain has had a huge boost and we have seen great potential in our young players during the first week of Wimbledon. We now want to create more success with a new strategy that has been designed to help create future British tennis champions, who we hope will continue to inspire others to play, watch and enjoy the sport for generations to come."