LTA Open Court Programme

Durham & Cleveland LTA has a strong North East Open Court Network. We have at least 11 venues that engage in the network and we are always keen for more venues to join. Through the network, supported by Area Active Partnership RISE, we are able to support venues to enhance their inclusive offer. Please contact admin@dclta.org if you would like details of how to join our network – more members are always welcome.

The main option provided through the Open Court plan is disability specific sessions such as:

  • learning disability tennis
  • wheelchair tennis
  • visually impaired tennis
  • deaf tennis.

However, as a sport we are also expanding our offer into other long term health conditions such as Mental Health and Dementia.

If you are interested in more information on the Open Court Programme please get in touch with Matt Elkington, Disability Development Partner on 07961 267607   (matthew.elkington@lta.org.uk)

There are over 10 million people with a limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability in Great Britain, of whom over 6.9 million are of working age, representing 18% of the working population. This equates to nearly five million disabled people of working age who want to play more sport. In tennis, the proportion of disabled people who have played in recent years is 5% v 12% of the total GB public.  Our ambition is to make these levels equal.

By ensuring that your tennis venue is accessible and inclusive you can provide opportunities for more people to play tennis more often, bringing a number of benefits for the individuals and your venue. There is the potential for you to grow your membership base considerably and introduce a whole new audience to tennis.