100 hubs of training excellence: ITF's National Training Centre goal

One hundred centres of training excellence around the world is the goal for the ITF and its National Training Centre Recognition Programme which continues to drive standards across the globe.

Keen to raise the bar and ensure a global footprint, the ITF established criteria for National Training Centres worldwide in 2018 with the overriding purpose of improving the game for future generations.

In broad terms, the recognition programme enables the ITF to continue strengthening the foundations of tennis so that talented players progress along the player pathway and maximise their potential.

Drilling down further, a player’s daily training environment – who is coaching, the number of hours, the type of fitness training, the availably of recovery tools, frequency of competition – and how it is all woven together is increasingly significant.

That is where the recognition programme comes in. The ITF recognises a nation’s National Training Centre as being Gold, Silver, Bronze or White once the criteria applicable for each level has been met. However, the focus is more on what the award represents than the award itself.

There are currently 29 National Training Centres around the world that have been recognised through the programme with the latest being Kazakhstan and Oman, which have been assessed as Gold and White respectively.

“We really want to emphasise the ‘T’ in National Training Centre,” said Debbie Kirkwood, the ITF’s Head of Performance and Events.

“What a player does in the 200 or so days a year when they are not competing is central to performance development and we want facilities around the world to have a big impact there.

“By the ITF working with nations in this space, the hope is those players will be better prepared when they do compete. Put another way, if competing is the end of term test, we want to influence positively what is being done every day at school.”

There are six key areas which are assessed by the ITF’s National Training Centre Recognition Programme: facilities and equipment, management, integrity, coaching, sports science & medicine and player programmes. 

“It is all about raising and monitoring standards,” added Kirkwood. “We want more players from more nations participating in quality training environments on a daily basis.

"Ultimately, we want quality training under the supervision of high-level coaches in well-managed facilities which have an holistic approach. Programmes that are structured in this way can lead to long-term systemic success.

“We currently have 29 nations around the world with National Training Centres that are doing just this. Ideally, we would like to see many nations, say 100, with this type of structure. This would give those players a better chance to continue their journey along the competitive pathway.

“The National Training Centre Recognition Programme is broad, but it is all about making a difference.”

It is important to stress also that while White is the foundational tier of the four assessed levels, it still demonstrates meaningful competencies and a solid base for that nation in the training space.

“We help nations know where they are with regard to their facilities and where they need to get to in future to effectively service the level of players training with them,” said Kirkwood.

itftennis.com has previously documented what White level recognition means for a developing tennis nation and the springboard it provides. Mauritius and their National Training Centre at Petit Camp in Vacoas-Phoenix is a good example. 

Which nations have been acknowledged through the ITF’s National Training Centre Recognition Programme?

Gold

France, USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, Portugal, Kazakhstan

Silver

Colombia, Lithuania

Bronze

Hong Kong, Qatar, Tunisia

White

Pakistan, Paraguay, Mauritius, Albania, Myanmar, Peru, Suriname, Bhutan, Ecuador, Rwanda, Jordan, Kenya, Solomon Islands, Brunei, Vanuatu, Oman

All applicant nations to the ITF's National Training Centre Recognition Programme provide documentary evidence and have their centre reviewed to demonstrate that systems and procedures are in place in the aforementioned six areas.

The ITF also helps less developed tennis nations through Facility Grants, visits from Development Officers and experts and the provision of ITF-approved materials on the running of a National Training Centre and effective programmes. 

For National Associations wishing to explore the ITF National Training Centre Recognition Programme, further information is available from the ITF’s Development Officer for their region.