Annual Report 2020/21 IiP
Investing in Professionals of Sports Structures and the T&RA, supervised by a panel selected from the Tennis community, which will be coordinated by the T&RA Chairman.
Jack Josephs has joined MURTC as the first IiP Professional apprentice
The T&RA are the major stakeholders, supported by the International Real Tennis Professionals Association. There has been a remarkable fundraising effort by the Funding Panel (led by Carl Snitcher), establishing the Real Champions Club, persuading other stakeholders (the Dedanists' Foundation, the Dedanists' Society and the LTRA) to contribute, as well as many clubs via a court levy contribution. A remarkable effort to focus so many parties on a common cause.
Programme Objectives - Attract, Recruit, Train, & Retain new, young and talented Professionals to Tennis to sustain the Professional population during the current and any future decline he T&RA has recognised that over the next ten - Upgrade the playing, marking, coaching & years a number of our sport’s professionals will equipment skills of all Professionals in Tennis to be retiring, and overseas courts will continue to improve Pro quality and marketability recruit professionals from the UK. The IiP programme intends to replace these by recruiting up to four trainee - Improve the business & commercial skills of All Professionals in Tennis for future career security professionals into the game each year by offering access to court-related skills combined with education - Target the business & commercial skills to increase the revenue and prosperity of Tennis in business skills. The programme offers new trainees clubs and existing young professionals a highly professional - Improve financial reward for Professionals who educational environment to develop a meaningful increase the revenue & profitability of their career in Real Tennis. Clubs - Work with the Clubs towards improved In tandem with court training and court-related skills, Professionals’ pay for improved qualifications the programme offers learning and training in the and budgetary performance. business skills relevant to becoming an accredited Real Tennis professional and to manage a sports facility. Programme Methodology To attract young people into our sport as a career it - Attract Tennis Apprentices into the game by is vital that they also acquire skills which are portable focused, targeted and appealing recruitment into other disciplines if they decide at some future - Provide Salary Support for new, young, point they do not wish to continue as a Real Tennis talented Apprentices accepted on Government professional. Some participants, like Jack, will also be Apprenticeships based on Business & on the government apprentice scheme. Commercial skills - Encourage and assist the training of all Over 40 volunteers, facilitated by John Whiting, have Professionals to progress from Level 1 to Level 3 been involved in developing the programme, which is - Provide information and links to “Self Help” and now run by the Operational Continuous Improvement distance learning for Business & Commercial Panel (OCIP). Sport Structures have provided a vital courses partnership throughout the process and continue to - Provide Work Shops for training work closely on a day-to-day basis. Operation of the programme is being delivered through the partnership
T
38
