Using tennis as a vehicle to help increase the health and wellbeing of First Nations young people in some of Australia’s most remote communities.

Jintangka Kamparru, Forward Together    

The ATF has partnered with Tennis NT and Wanta Aboriginal Corporation in the Northern Territory to utilise tennis in nine remote communities across the Central Desert to help increase health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Programs are delivered through the existing Wanta Sports Academy by locally based staff who have received training in coaching, scoring and umpiring tennis. Resources and training have been translated so that they can be delivered in local language, a first for the Northern Territory.

Equipment packs have also been provided for each community to enable ongoing participation and all programs will provide clear pathways to the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival in Darwin and meaningful culture, health and education outcomes.

South West Indigenous Network

Through this partnership with the South West Indigenous Network (SWIN), we have provided coaching training and equipment packs to SWIN staff to deliver tennis to over 1300 young people in Toowoomba, Roma, St George and Cunnamulla.

Tennis Hot Shots programs are delivered in Roma, Cunnamulla and St George, and participants from the program participate in the Western Rivers Cup each year. Players from the region then have the opportunity to go on to the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival in Darwin.

The next phase of the partnership will see expanded opportunities for kids to play, with new inter-community tournaments to be established, creating opportunities for social connections between some of Queensland most remote communities.

Over 450 Frist Nations kids have been introduced to tennis since our programs began in 2021, with almost 1000 racquets, balls and nets have been donated to First Nations kids and communities.