{"id":144617,"date":"2025-09-15T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/144617\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T09:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:30:13","slug":"the-inclusive-hotspot-project-making-tennis-accessible-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/144617\/","title":{"rendered":"The inclusive hotspot project, making tennis accessible for all"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This National Inclusion Week, we\u2019re celebrating a game-changing initiative that\u2019s opening up tennis to communities who\u2019ve historically been left out. <\/p>\n<p>The Inclusive Hotspot Project, led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.queensclubfoundation.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Queen\u2019s Club Foundation<\/a> (QCF), an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lta.org.uk\/what-we-do\/lta-tennis-foundation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LTA Tennis Foundation<\/a> funded partner, and supported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.middlesex.tennis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Middlesex Tennis<\/a>, is a three-year programme designed to break down barriers and build lasting pathways into tennis and padel.<\/p>\n<p>The project\u2019s core aim is to improve social inclusion, health, and community engagement through tennis and padel. With a combined investment from Middlesex Tennis and match funding from QCF, the initiative is creating a model for inclusive tennis, which clubs and venues can deliver across the County of Middlesex and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The project focusses of six key areas of inclusion:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Blind and Partially Sighted Participants (VI tennis)\u00a0<br \/>\nUnderserved Communities (those from low-income backgrounds)\u00a0<br \/>\nHomeless Adults\u00a0<br \/>\nFemale Refugees and Asylum Seekers\u00a0<br \/>\nChildren with Autism\u00a0<br \/>\nDeaf and Hard of Hearing Participants\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Each year, two inclusive hotspots will be launched at suitable venues, each focusing on a different area of inclusion, allowing for deep engagement and tailored support.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Each hotspot is built around five key pillars:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Legacy: Free weekly sessions and camps, supported by local clubs and venues.\u00a0<br \/>\nCommunity: Strong networks of schools, charities, councils, and clubs.\u00a0<br \/>\nAwareness: Events, ambassador visits, and resources to raise understanding.\u00a0<br \/>\nWorkforce: Training for coaches, volunteers, and young leaders.\u00a0<br \/>\nShowcase: Documented best practice models to inspire other counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first phase is already underway, with VI tennis and underserved community hotspots already up and running.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"u-subtitle2\">Phoenix Academy \u2013 Underserved Communities<\/p>\n<p>Through the LTA Serves Level Up London programme (funded by LTA Tennis Foundation), a youth worker, Kevin Nathaniel, trained as a Level 1 coach and mentored by Kate Maurici,\u00a0 the Head of The Queen\u2019s Club Foundation, has been recruited to deliver free weekly mini red tennis sessions for children from low-income families at Phoenix Academy in White City. Supported by further mentoring for Kevin by Black Tennis Mentors, the hotspots project is building a sustainable model with mentorship, leadership training, and after-school access in an area where opportunities for free or affordable tennis are scarce.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025-phoenix-academy.jpg\" alt=\"2025-Phoenix-Academy.JPG\" width=\"1400\" height=\"933\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This National Inclusion Week, we\u2019re celebrating a game-changing initiative that\u2019s opening up tennis to communities who\u2019ve historically been&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144618,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":{"0":"post-144617","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tennis"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}