More than 60,000 kids took part in the AO Holiday Program this summer, with events held across every Australian state and territory.
Australia, 5 March 2024 | tennis.com.au
Inspiration aplenty was served up this summer at the AO Holiday Program presented by Weet-Bix.
The program provides an opportunity for children of all ages and abilities to pick up a racquet and play tennis. It was run by local tennis coaches across more than 430 venues covering every Australian state and territory.
Yvonne Fantin, the head coach from Topseed Tennis Academy, ran the AO Holiday Program at three tennis clubs in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
“Our AO Holiday Program was a huge success, with over 100 participants taking part,” Fantin said.
“It’s one of the highlights of our coaching year, with all participants going into the draw to win tickets to the Australian Open.
“The Australian Open serves as a powerful catalyst in inspiring children to pick up a racquet and hit the courts. It’s great to see the buzz it creates amongst our juniors.”
The program proved a hit in the nation’s capital too.
Robert Jamieson, from the Canberra School of Tennis, ran several different versions of the program to cater for beginners through to squad players.
“We held a pre-Christmas camp which had 62 students participate and we had 155 juniors take part in camps in January during the Australian Open,” Jamieson said.
“Our highlight of the camps is seeing new and existing students take part and gain a higher level of enthusiasm for tennis.
“This is especially higher during the Australian Open, as we had the TV on for everyone to keep track of who is playing.
“We also created teams that were named after the pro players. All kids were placed randomly and earned points for their team, with the winners receiving a prize at the end of the camp.”
Thanks to Weet-Bix’s support of the program, the AO Holiday Program is now set to run across all school holiday periods.
Keep an eye out for more AO Holiday Programs running in your local area in coming weeks, providing extra opportunities for kids to get active and have fun.
Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!
