ITF and iCoachKids join forces to boost youth coaching

The ITF is pleased to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the international not-for-profit project iCoachKids, aiming to support the development of a specialist children and youth coaching workforce.

The ITF Coaching programme and ITF Academy have a proven record of developing and supporting coaches around the world, working throughout the ITF’s network of national associations to constantly improve the standards of coaching worldwide.

iCoachKids provides innovative learning and development opportunities for those coaching children and young people, led by Leeds Beckett University and the International Council for Coaching Excellence. Both the ITF and iCoachKids share the common objective of increasing and improving youth participation in sport and physical activity.

The 2019 ITF Global Tennis Report revealed that there are 164,000 tennis coaches worldwide, and the ITF and iCoachKids are committed to sharing expertise and resources through their networks for the benefit of coaches working with young tennis players around the world.   

Miguel Crespo, ITF Head of Participation and Coaching said: “Quality coaching of children and young people is essential to not only developing future stars but also providing positive experiences to encourage lifelong participation in the sport. We are delighted to work with iCoachKids to further improve the specialist training provided to our tennis coaches.”

Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial, iCoachKids Director said: “This is a fantastic partnership for iCoachKids. ITF has an incredible reputation for supporting coach education and development and for us it is an honour to support their already excellent work and reach thousands of tennis coaches world-wide.”

To learn more about iCoachKids, click here.