Dozens of children in the Beetham Gardens community spent their Sundays playing tennis, thanks to the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs (MSYA). As part of its ‘Total Participation in Sport’ mandate, MSYA Sport Development Officers for the St. George West District brought the game of tennis to boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 15. The objective was to introduce the game using the ‘play and stay’ concept, which encourages parents and guardians to participate in the sessions.                                                         

For 8 Sundays in the month of November and December, the children used smaller plastic rackets to hit a tennis ball over a low net, perform basic shuttle movements and learn about the importance of sportsmanship. Sport Development Officer, Christian Charles noted that the program has boosted the sport by creating an awareness in the community that tennis is easy, can form part of a healthy lifestyle and is a sport for all.


Officials of the Tennis Association of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) ably assisted the Sport Development Officers in providing coaches and other technical assistance for what was a successful program for all involved.