LTA and Girlguiding celebrate International Women’s Day with exciting pilot project

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The LTA is launching a new pilot project with Girlguiding that will see Rangers trained to deliver tennis sessions as part of the governing body’s drive to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the sport.

The pilot, announced ahead of International Women’s Day this Sunday 8 March, is the first time Girlguiding has linked with a sporting governing body in this way.

It will see Judy Murray lead an LTA She Rallies coaching workshop in Bristol on 2 May with Rangers, girls aged 14-18 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 workshop will feature content from She Rallies – the LTA’s programme designed to empower more women to become tennis coaches and, in turn, inspire young girls to take up the sport.

There will also be further Girlguiding and She Rallies activity included at five other leadership training days over the summer in Edinburgh, Ilkley, Birmingham, Hertford and Eastbourne.

The pilot is supported by findings from Girlguiding’s Girls’ Attitudes survey which found almost half (46%) of girls aged 11-21 want to see more representation of women in sport. The charity’s Future Girl manifesto for girl-led change, developed with 76,000 girls and young women, found girls want women in sport to be equally supported and celebrated as men in sport.

“We are very excited to announce this pilot project and the opportunities it creates in our work to open up tennis to more people,” Jo-Anne Downing, LTA Product & Programme Manager, said. “It’s great to be working together with Girlguiding to equip more young women with vital leadership skills through tennis and the LTA She Rallies programme, and ultimately see more young girls benefiting from taking part in the sport.

“Judy continues to be a fantastic ambassador for She Rallies and for women and girls in tennis, and I’m sure she will inspire the Rangers who are lucky enough to take part in these pilot sessions. Girlguiding is a national institution and we hope to continue to work together beyond this pilot to inspire the next generation of female leaders in sport.”

Angela Salt, CEO of Girlguiding, said: “LTA and Girlguiding share a common goal: to inspire girls and build their confidence in a space that feels fun and adventurous. Sport is a fantastic way to do this. So we’re delighted to join forces to offer girls more opportunities to build their confidence and leadership skills through tennis. Together, we want to build the confidence of girls today, to be the leaders of tomorrow.”

Judy Murray said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting some fantastic young women through this project, and equipping them with the skills and content to help us get more women and girls involved in tennis. The LTA She Rallies programme has already had a lot of success in building a bigger and stronger female workforce, 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.”

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