Allplay is designed to make it easy for people to find a playing partner, a local court or coach, by signing up to www.allplaytennis.com.
Greg Rusedski said: ‘I’m backing allplay because it will help people of all abilities play more tennis, from those who have never held a racket, to players looking to get back into the sport and people who have been playing the game for years’.
Allplay, which has been created by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), is also designed to provide tennis coaches and places to play with resources, including posters and leaflets, to promote the sport and attract more players.
Roger Draper, chief executive of the LTA said: ‘We want to help more people play tennis, and allplay will make it easier for people to do just that. Every year, we’re also investing in facilities, coaches and tennis programmes like mini tennis and cardio tennis, in order to get more people playing and enjoying tennis’.
Olympic heptathlon champion, Denise Lewis and TV Presenter Tim Lovejoy are taking up tennis for the first time as part of an allplay challenge which will also feature broadcaster Richard Bacon and TV presenter Lorraine Kelly.
All four have six months to progress from tennis novices to playing a match in front of a live audience at the AEGON Masters tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in December.
Denise Lewis said: ‘I can’t wait to take on the allplay challenge. Tennis is a great sport to watch and I’m sure that it will be even more fun to play, especially with the family. I’m a big supporter of helping more people play sport and allplay is set up to help me and others like me get involved in the game’.
TV Presenter Tim Lovejoy added: ‘I used to play tennis as a kid, and I’ve always wanted to play again. It’s fun, I can play it with my daughters, and it will keep me fit.
Knowing that I’ve got to play in front of a live audience at the end of the year is pretty daunting, but I’m really looking forward to it’.
At www.allplaytennis.com players can build their own profile detailing playing standard, when and where you want to play, and much more.
Once complete, you simply enter a postcode of your choice in the allplay location-based search engine and it will help you to connect and play with people in your area at a level that suits your ability.
It’s a free-to-join website where members will also get exclusive access to special offers and be able to earn rewards as they play.
Published: 07/06/2011
Source: http://www.sportindustry.biz/news/view/9902/allplay-launched-to-encourage-tennis
