'Buzzing with excitement': ITF visits Timor Leste for first time
It may have taken him nearly 100 hours to get there but, having finally landed at Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, ITF Development Officer Jonathan Stubbs was able to begin the ITF’s first-ever visit to Timor Leste.
After its membership of the ITF was approved at last year’s ITF AGM and Conference, this was an historic moment for the Southeast Asian nation which, incidentally, became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century in 2002.
Stubbs met with Aniceto Alves, the President of the Timor Leste Tennis Association (TLTA), and his dedicated team in Dili, the nation’s capital, during a seven-day stay on the island.
The purpose of the visit was essentially threefold: to welcome Timor Leste to the ITF family, assess the standard of tennis development there and conduct an ITF Play Tennis course [the first level of the ITF Coach Education Programme conducted with deliverers and children aged 10 and under].
Stubbs also held a series of meetings with high-ranking officials from the Timor Leste Sports Ministry, its National Olympic Committee and the East Timor Sports Confederation, with the overriding aim being the growth of tennis across the nation.
The context of the discussions, and indeed every aspect of the trip, was contextualised through the prism of the 2021-2024 ITF Development Strategy pillars of participation, education, administration and resources, events, facilities and performance.
In short, Timor Leste is just beginning its tennis journey. It is one of the least developed nations in terms of tennis infrastructure within the South, South East and East Asia region, which houses the well-resourced China and India.
There are hurdles to overcome as well, principally the national association’s lack of access to a National Training Centre or courts which it controls and the paucity of equipment for the rollout of the ITF Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI). Coach education is also a priority.
That said, Stubbs, who has been ITF Development Officer for the region since January 2018, is optimistic about the future of tennis within Timor Leste and believes tangible and sustainable improvements can and will be made.
“In many respects, this is what you live for as an ITF Development Officer,” Stubbs told itftennis.com. “There is huge passion in development and there is a sense of pride also.
“Timor Leste is a nation where we can make a significant impact, whether that be through direct or indirect support. Put it this way, if I don’t see a positive change there in the next five years then I will be pretty upset with myself.
“Some foundations need laying and that’s doable. When those are laid and the access to equipment and the coaching improves, they could be in a far more advanced position pretty quickly.
“The major positive is the people at the national association are really keen. There is good leadership there and the people running tennis in Timor Leste are enthusiastic and want to see steps taken and improvements made.”
There are encouraging signs already. For instance, TLTA has signed the ITF World Tennis Number agreement meaning Timor Leste will participate in a key ITF project which is targeting an ambitious goal of 120 million people – another 30 million – playing tennis globally by 2030.
The nation has also joined the JTI – the 14-and-under development programme for a national association, supported by the ITF – with the mobilisation of that age-range and occupancy of that space particularly vital for game’s expansion, according to Stubbs.
However, delivering JTI equipment to Timor Leste is not straightforward. Once that hurdle has been cleared, the intention is for the JTI to focus upon schools and clubs in Dili before the programme is rolled out, with the help of Tennis Festivals, to other districts.
ITF Development Officer Jonathan Stubbs met with H.E. The Secretary of State for Youth & Sports Mr. Abrao Saldanha during his visit to Timor Leste
For this to occur, coach education is of paramount importance. Since being granted ITF membership, Timor Leste has 27 registered users on the ITF Academy and the intent for better coaching, under head coach and JTI co-ordinator Armindo da Costa, is there.
The next step is for the national association to run courses and workshops, while an assessment for White Level (the first rung on the ITF’s standard of coaching charter) within the ITF Recognition of Coach Education Systems is a medium-term goal.
An application for funding through the ITF Facilities Grant Programme is also on the cards once the TLTA has control over an appropriate facility where large-scale programmes can operate and events hosted.
Newly-renovated courts at the Melati Tennis Club in Dili, which would need to be released by the Sports Ministry, are an immediate possibility, from where the TLTA could also initiate training programmes focused on performance.
“Tennis in Timor Leste is still in its infancy,” Afonso Lopes Mu, TLTA board member and treasurer, told itftennis.com. “We are starting to build tennis and the ITF is helping Timor Leste with the foundations.
“The vision is to build junior tennis here and new facilities are essential for the growth of the sport. With more facilities we can develop the sport and accelerate programmes such as the JTI.
“All primary schools in Dili will be our first target for the JTI. Slowly, the JTI will progress to primary schools and clubs in other districts. While we are only starting to build tennis, we feel we are in a positive position.
“The ITF can open our path forward, with things like the ITF Academy, which helps us to introduce a modern style of coaching, an important building block. Timor Leste is buzzing with excitement.”
With the TLTA now an ITF member, Timor Leste is also eligible to participate in junior team events such as ITF World Junior Tennis, Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup, something which it has never previously done. Next month, the nation will compete in regional qualifying for South East Asia’s 12-and-under team competition.
So, while there is much work to do, Timor Leste’s tennis adventure is underway, and it is common knowledge that every successful journey started with a first step.