Some light at the end of the tunnel ? - The LTA and Tennis as a Socially Distanced Sport.
Although currently there is no amateur sport allowed in England and all tennis clubs must stay closed, The LTA, along with other sports Governing Bodies, such as Golf are still in talks with The Sports Minister regarding the return of outdoor tennis in some capacity as soon as possible.
In Scotland, both golf and tennis ( outside ) are allowed with strict rules and The LTA are lobbying The Government in England to follow suit and allow the same here.
While the numbers are still very high, it’s not likely that there will an immediate change of rules, but like the initial lockdown, as numbers begin to drop then socially distant outdoor sports are likely to be the first activities permitted again and this time, hopefully for ever !
If you remember Lockdown One in March 2020, outdoor tennis was reintroduced in mid May ( 13th May ) after approximately 6 weeks and with the vaccine now being rolled out very quickly throughout the UK and with everybody under a National Lockdown, hopefully outdoor tennis will return soon.
In The LTA Update below, there are also a couple of particle things members of all Club’s can do, if you share the view that outdoor tennis should be on the permissible list:-
LTA Update…
Tennis as a socially distanced sport
The LTA recognises the impact of COVID-19 on everyone in Great Britain, however tennis is a naturally socially distanced sport that involves participants stood a significant distance away from each other with a net in between. As such the LTA believes that tennis is a safe sport for participants to engage in as long as they follow the correct procedures. Tennis provides significant physical and mental health benefits to participants, and so can play a role in helping to safely maintain the health and wellbeing of the nation.
We understand and share the disappointment and frustration amongst the tennis community, that our sport has once again been suspended under the Government’s national lockdown restrictions in England.
The LTA will continue to push for tennis to resume as soon as restrictions can be relaxed. Players up and down the country want to get back on court, whilst coaches, venues and officials will again be affected by this latest lockdown.
To help bring to life the importance of tennis to the nation, and help the campaign for courts to be re-opened as soon as possible, we encourage the tennis community to:
- Sign the petition calling on the Government to allow outdoor courts to open as soon as possible . ( https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/557658 )
- Write to their local MP, outlining the positive impact that tennis has on them and their local community. You can find your local MP ( https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP )