Tennis Jamaica formally announced its brave new plan, in partnership with the Spanish-Jamaica Foundation (SJF), to introduce organised tennis islandwide at the basic school level.

The new early childhood tennis partnership launch was announced by Tennis Jamaica director Christine Gore at a press briefing at Tennis Jamaica’s headquarters, Piccadilly Road in Kingston yesterday.

Gore said that the exciting new partnership with SJF “is aimed at establishing a rural early childhood tennis programme that uses the International Tennis Federation (ITF) ‘Play & Stay’ method designed especially for young children to maximise the many benefits for this age group”.

At present 60 four-and-five-year-old students of the Tryall Fund’s “Success by Six” schools in the parish of Hanover have begun to learn the sport. The schools involved are Sandy Bay Community Basic School, Mount Pelier Basic School, Hopewell Christian Deliverance Basic School and Chambers Pen Basic School.

The project, Gore said, will cost close to $650,000 annually, and will be conducted over three-term periods for the season and will be funded by the Spanish-Jamaica Foundation. Disbursement of funds to the project will be made in three instalments annually. The first instalment was made by Spanish Ambassador Celsa Nuno at the press briefing.

Nuno, also president of the Spanish-Jamaica Foundation, said she was heartened to share in the launch of “this exciting new early childhood sports partnership”. The Spanish-Jamaica Foundation has a strong track record of supporting youth development through sport evidenced by its creation of the Montego Bay-based Real Madrid School for social integration in 2008.

“The Foundation is also committed to increasing its support of activities that are located in communities near to its member companies. This, therefore, marks our first outreach project in Hanover,” she said.

Ambassador Nuno said the new partnership is a natural progression because although Spain is known primarily as a footballing powerhouse, it is also highly respected and well recognised as a tennis world power — pointing out that two of the current top 10 players are Spanish in Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer.

Nuno also pointed out that over the years many tennis professionals have benefited from training as juniors in Spain.

Tennis Jamaica president John Bailey expressed the Board’s delight in the forged relationship, explaining that it is in keeping with the organisation’s objectives to create “opportunities to expose young Jamaican players to higher levels of coaching and learning both from a local and foreign perspective”.

(From left) General manager of SJF Dr Rebecca Tortello, Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Spanish Ambassador Celsa Nuno, Tennis Jamaica first vice-president Aswad Morgan, Tennis Jamaica secretary Leroy Brown, Minister of Sport Natalie Neita-Headley, Tennis Jamaica director Christine Gore and Tennis Jamaica president John Bailey pose with a symbolic sponsorship cheque at Tennis Jamaica’s headquarters in Kingston yesterday. (PHOTO: HURBUN WILLIAMS)