News

The National Lotteries Authority was given the mandate to take care of the facility. This will comprise of several stages of repairs and upgrading. Thus far this is a list of what has already taken place:

1. There was the erection of a 12 ft wall leading to the college and opposite the tennis courts.
2. A large drain was constructed to facilitate the incoming water from college which used to flood the tennis facilities, as a result, this new drain will take said water and take it to the nearby river.
3. The Club house was treated for the infestation of terminates.
4. An additional room was built to the back of the building for the in-house work man.
5. The courts are being upgraded in time for the upcoming SVGTA SVGCup slated for Oct. 29th – 3rd Nov.
6. Dipcon is engaged in upgrading the college courts to expand the number of courts available for tennis. These upgraded courts will be multipurpose.
7. There is extensive repairs of the electrical and plumbing systems at the centre.
8. An additional backwall on the eastern side close to the river will be built to mitigate flooding on that side of the property.

These repairs will be done in phases over a period of time.

Course overview

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tennis Association (SVGTA), along with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the National Olympic Committee (NOC), with funding from the Olympic Solidarity, organized a Coaching Beginners and Intermediates (CBI) course, formerly known as the Level 1, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on 27th July – 7th August, 2018. The ITF CBI was developed for those persons who are interested in coaching and promoting tennis at the grassroot levels up to the initial competition stage. This course catered to 24 participants, from islands such as Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

See full synopsis in the PDF file below.

ITF Level 1 Coaching Course PDF

Report on the tournament in Antigua attended by 3 players and a coach

On Saturday 25th August, 2018, three 18 & under tennis players and one coach/chaperone from St. Vincent and the Grenadines journeyed to Antigua to attend the Wadadli Bowl, a Grade 5 tournament. Amarlia and Gabrielle Benn participated in the Girls 18 & under singles and doubles competition, while Richand Hoyte played in the Boys 18 & under singles and doubles competition. They were accompanied by Roxann Williams, Level 1 tennis coach, to the host nation Antigua where they played at the National Tennis Centre Campsite in St Johns. 

As of September 3rd 2018, Amarlia Benn is ranked 1870, and Gabrielle is ranked 2230, Richand has yet to acquire a rank.

Report on the conference attended in Trinidad by coaches and executive members

St. Vincent and the Grenadines was represented at the 3rd Caribbean Regional Coaches Conference hosted by Trinidad – TennisTT on the 19th -21st of September, 2018, by three members of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tennis Association and three Level 1 coaches. Two of the attendees were sponsored by the National Olympic Committee in St. Vincent, while one coach, Kevin Huggins was given a grant by the International Tennis Federation.

This conference was aimed at getting all the coaches in the Caribbean together to discuss tennis: for example, matters relating to Caribbean tennis and how coaches can get more persons to start and remain in tennis, sharing new ways/techniques to help players improve their game and new strategies to improve the mental strength of our tennis athletes. This conference also highlighted what the other countries are doing in tennis and the different tournaments they are a part of, whilst give the listening coaches and well-wishers some advice on what to do and not to do.

Moreover, information was shared on how to deal with female tennis players in a more effective way to ensure that they are encouraged to stay in the sport and reach great or greater heights as the boys in the region.

There were presenters from different parts of the world, such as Barbados, Canada, Great Britain, Grenada, Suriname, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S.A.

SVGTA – P.R.O

The first of the 2018 series of ITF Regional Coaches Conferences by BNP Paribas took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 19 to 21 September. The conferences are focused on the themes of female tennis and schools tennis but presentations can still come from a wide range of disciplines, i.e. biomechanics, tactics, technique, psychology, marketing and physiology, whilst relating to the main themes.