Game, Set And Match
To many, tennis may just mean two weeks of Wimbledon, strawberries and cream and rain, but read on to find out more about how you can be involved in the world of tennis. While playing tennis professionally is often the preferred choice, there are also plenty of other opportunities to have a career in tennis. Some of these are outlined below.
Professional Tennis Player
There are opportunities to become a professional player, many feel that starting to play on the senior tour is above them and is something that only the very best players do. While the standard is high, there are some great competitive opportunities and experiences out there for young tennis players that have competed to junior national level.
Professional Tennis Coach
Developing your skills as a player and increasing your experience of training and competition helps build your tennis knowledge, giving you a head start in the career of professional coaching. There are various ways to begin depending on your age.
Refereeing and Umpiring
If you are interested in getting into refereeing and umpiring then there are free introductory seminars and courses you can attend. These will give you an insight into officiating allowing you to see if it is the right
option for you.
 Sports Science Support Jobs
Sports science is a growing sector and there are plenty of opportunities to pursue a career in this within tennis. Taking part in the AASE programme (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) will give you an introduction to certain aspects of sports science, examples include physical conditioning and mental skills, and biomechanical tendencies that are present in tennis strokes, thereby providing you with an insight into a variety of different areas of sports science.
AASE is a government funded initiative that has been designed to meet the needs of young people (16-19) who have the realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport and are seeking to perform at the highest level as their main career goal, whilst continuing with their education. The qualification offers the first opportunity for elite and potentially elite synchronised swimmers to get a proper recognition of the skills, knowledge and understanding they are gaining in their quest for excellence.
It is a two-year programme and consists of three components; NVQ Level 3 Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance, Technical Certificate (qualifications in education) and Key Skills (Application of Number and Communication).
There are eight units in the NVQ:
• Plan, develop and apply your technical skills
• Plan, develop and apply your physical conditioning
• Plan, develop and apply your tactical skills
• Develop the attitudes and mental skills necessary for excellent performance
• Plan and manage your own lifestyle
• Plan and manage your career
• Communicate and work effectively with others
• Maintain the health and safety of yourself and others
Sports Development
There is an ever increasing number of jobs available within areas of sports development and with the London Olympics in 2012 the number of jobs available within the wider sports sector is continually growing, some areas to look at include:
Retail Sector Jobs, Other Areas of Sports Development, Management, Sports Agent
Tennis qualifications will not only give you in depth knowledge, but completing the AASE Programme will also equip you with life management skills, including communication skills, time management skills and organisational skills that are necessary to succeed in any career. These all give you a good grounding for future involvement in the tennis industry. LS |
