PORTLAND’S Lawn Tennis Club got itself a major boost this week, with the arrival of some brand-new equipment which is set to promote their junior tennis program into the future.

Club member Chris Thomas said the new tennis balls and racquets – which were purchased and supplied by Aaron Armistead of Preston Rowe Paterson Property Consultants – will help to encourage new and inexperienced kids to come down and have a go.

“We’re just trying to make tennis as accessible as we can for the juniors,” Thomas said.

“Before Christmas we had a number of kids who wanted to get involved but didn’t have racquets… we were talking to Aaron one night and he put his hand up to help us out.

“It’s going to be fantastic for the kids that previously didn’t have racquets to get their hands on one that’s of a high quality that they’ll be able to learn the skills with.”

Essentially, the club is hoping that by lowering the barrier to entry to getting a start in the game, they can help expand the participation in tennis at a junior level.

“We’re trying to build the number of kids involved… that’s what is going to ensure the success of tennis going forward,” Thomas said.

“Kids can use the racquet for as long as they need to, then once they’re invested in the game the hope is they’ll pass it on to the next kid that needs it.

“The club puts on free coaching for the juniors as a part of our program, myself and Craig (Keenan) run those sessions on a Tuesday night, we’re doing everything we can to grow the sport.

“It’s definitely about taking barriers away, and making sure that if the kids want to play the sport there’s an opportunity there for them.”

Armistead said his key motivation behind getting some funding behind the club was to see it thrive after a difficult period of time across all sports.

“As a company we didn’t feel the effects of COVID as much as many others would have, so now we’re out the other side of that it was important to give something back,” he said.

“I play with the club myself on a Tuesday night, and I’ve always loved my tennis so on a personal level it was great to be able to make a contribution.

“The numbers have been down a little bit over the past 12 months or so, hopefully this can spur some people, both in the juniors and seniors, to get back involved.

“We don’t want to be a lack of equipment to be a preventative factor for kids getting involved, if they want to play there should be an opportunity there.”