Tennis coaches Matthew and Louise McGann from Enniskillen Tennis Club have undertaken a wide ranging tennis coaching programme in many schools throughout the Enniskillen area since Christmas. The schools have benefitted from the EveryBody Active (EBA) Schools coaching programme which has been provided by the Enniskillen Club as a result of support received from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Ulster Branch Tennis Ireland.
Over 200 pupils took part in this program at the Integrated Primary, the Model, Jones Memorial, Holy Trinity, St Franchea’s College and Devenish College. Using the schools’ sports halls and outdoor play areas the children were introduced to tennis by means of fun games promoting the skills required to play the game. Coach Matthew McGann was delighted to be able to present the game to many children who had never played the sport before.
With so many taking part at these school sessions, it was decided to offer the pupils the opportunity to play at the tennis club. Vouchers were given out to school participants to encourage the children to visit the tennis club and have a free tennis session with the coaches. This will give many with the opportunity to integrate into club activities which include the popular junior club nights.
Upcoming Schools Cup
The Enniskillen Club will be hosting the Fermanagh Schools Cup later this month. This competition provides the chance for the many children who have been involved in the coaching programs to put their skills into action as part of a school team. There are four players in each team consisting of both boys and girls. This year the competition is open to transition year students in both primary and secondary schools. The teams play each other in the qualification stages which ultimately lead to the finals which are played at Enniskillen Tennis Club. The current holder is the Model Primary but after a comprehensive schools coaching program, the title is sure to be hotly contested. The competition will be taking place in late April and any schools wanting to get involved should email Matthew McGann: coaching@tenniskillen.com
Miss-Hits programme
Louise McGann initiated the local Miss-Hits programme at Jones Memorial Primary School which is targeted at girls aged 4-6 years of age. The school provided a perfect indoor setting and the room echoed with squeals of delight as young girls learnt how to play tennis with Faith Forehand, Bella Backhand and Valentina Volley! Looking to the future, Louise hopes to introduce this programme to other schools receptive to the idea of getting more girls engaged in physical activities.
Junior club nights at Enniskillen Tennis Club
With two days of Easter camp also taking place this week at the club, we hope that many of the pupils from the schools’ programme will come to the junior club nights held each Friday at Enniskillen Tennis Club. The club nights offer young people the opportunity of making new friends outside the school environment and resume on Friday 13 April until the 22 June. More details on this page
