Women In Tennis
Women’s try tennis
- The Women’s Try Tennis Programme aims to make tennis affordable and accessible for women who are beginners or who haven’t played the sport in a number of years.
- The aim is to encourage women to join a club or continue taking lessons once they have completed the programme.
- The programme usually runs between 4-8 weeks where participants learn the basic skills and rules of the game.
- We can offer funding towards the programme and a club or LSP also typically contribute funding to keep the cost as low as possible for participants. All coaches must be licensed with Tennis Ireland in order to receive funding.
- In 2024, over 270 women have taken part in 28 Women’s Try Tennis Programmes across the country. The current club joiner rate and participants who continue to play on community courts is 68%.
- If you would like to set up a programme or find out about what programmes are running near you, please contact our Diversity & Inclusion Officer Aoife O’Sullivan at [email protected]
Women in racket Sports
- The Women in Racket Sports programme is a joint initiative between Tennis Ireland, Table Tennis Ireland, Badminton Ireland and Irish Squash to support the development of female coaches.
- In April 2024, we held a workshop for tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis female coaches in Carlow Lawn Tennis Club. Chloe Magee (3X Olympian) spoke about her own experience of transitioning from a professional athlete to coach. The coaches also shared their own experiences of coaching and had the opportunity to network with one another.
- After the coaches networking event, over 70 women and girls from the local area got the opportunity to try out all of the four sports. Female coaches from all four sports were on hand to facilitate these sessions and all equipment was provided to participants.
- A similar event is planned for Galway Lawn Tennis Club in March 2025 to coincide with International Women’s Day.
Bille Jean King Cup Roadshow
- In June, members of Ireland’s Billie Jean King Cup Team attended St Olaf’s National School for a meet and greet session with pupils before their tournament in Moldova.
- The pupils got to meet several players including – Sinéad Lohan, Sarah Hawkshaw, Olwyn Ryan-Bovey & Shauna Heffernan – and also pick up some tennis tips from coach Orla Wright. This event was extra special as Sinéad Lohan is also a teacher in the school!
Her moves – serve swap
- Her Moves is a Sport Ireland initiative designed to inspire and support more teenage girls to be physically active.
- Tennis Ireland’s Her Moves initiative – Serve Swap – combines social tennis and sustainability by swapping pre-loved items with one another.
- Her Moves is all about “finding something that moves you” and encouraging teenage girls to participate in physical activity in a fun, supportive and non-competitive environment. Find out more at HerMoves.ie.
Court bosses
- Court Bosses is a pilot coaching and leadership programme for young women, that will give them the skills and confidence they need to remain in the sport as players and coaches.
- Participants will receive training and assessment that will result in a level one coaching qualification, plus tailored empowerment, and personal development training. The combination of tennis coaching and skills such as values, confidence, resilience, and female empowerment is what makes the Court Bosses programme unique.
Women in Sport Week ’25
- 300 secondary school girls took part in a Her Moves Exercise Energise Day at the Sport Campus.
- 85 women availed of low-cost tennis lessons across the country during Women in Sport Week.
- Tennis Ireland, Badminton Ireland, Irish Squash and Table Tennis Ireland held our Women in Racket Sports Day in Galway Lawn Tennis Club on International Women’s Day. The day included guest speaker Bernard Hanratty, who spoke about the importance of male allyship for women in sport, a wonderful panel discussion with Emma Murphy, Jennifer Dillon and Miriam Magee, and a chance for girls and women of all ages to try out all four of our sports!
women in sport policies
Webinars
GET INVOLVED
For more information on women in tennis or how you and your club can get involved, please contact National Coordinator for Women in Tennis, Aoife O’Sullivan on [email protected]
