ITF

ITFWorld // AUTUMN 2019 31 Retention in sport and physical activity participation assumed centre stage as the ITF hosted the second Worldwide Participation Conference at Chelsea Football Club's Stamford Bridge in London in July. In July, the ITF and leading National Associations announced a strategic project to develop and implement a global, level-based tennis rating, designed to enable more matches to be played between players of similar levels, from beginners to professionals. The new rating, called the ITF World Tennis Number (WTN), aims to break down one of sport's key barriers to participation – uneven match-ups – and allow players of all abilities to determine their individual level. This will help More than 200 delegates from the sporting world were in attendance as the ITF built on the global conversation which began at the inaugural event 12 months earlier. In total, there were 63 ITF member National Associations, including 20 Presidents, five ITF Regional Associations, including two Presidents, and seven international sport federations present. Tennis legend and Fed Cup global ambassador Billie Jean King was among the keynote speakers and provided a rousing conclusion to the opening day and offered her observations on boosting participation rates. There were several key takeaways from an event which had tennis at its heart, but one that also engaged stakeholders from outside of the sport, allowing key discussions and the sharing of best practice to take place. World governing bodies from the wider sporting community engaged with international tennis delegates with responsibility for delivering national development programmes and the growing of tennis for all ages, genders, playing standards and physical abilities. The sense of sport pooling its knowledge base was particularly players identify opponents and competitions of an appropriate standard and have access to more competitive and enjoyable playing opportunities. The ITF World Tennis Number project, approved by the ITF Board of Directors in March 2018, is led by a steering committee comprised of executives from the ITF, French Tennis Federation (FFT), LTA and United States Tennis Association (USTA), and supported by a project team and an advisory group of nations that also includes experts prevalent on day one as FIFA, World Sailing, UNICEF, PGAs of Europe, Badminton World Federation, Special Olympics, World Rowing and Right to Play all presented. There was also representation from the eSports and gaming world in the form of the British Esports Association and Virtual Sports Association, while Leeds Beckett University, Kosmos and Sportlabs also made valuable and expert contributions. The topics were broad and wide- ranging: how data and measuring insight can be utilised, key drivers for growing participation, strategies for improving retention rates, how technology and eSports can be harnessed in the quest to boost physical activity and how more women can be attracted to sport. If day one was a sporting collaboration, the closing section of the conference was very much tennis-specific, with a range of case studies heard from National Associations. Member National Associations from China, Costa Rica, Belgium, Kenya, New Zealand and Paraguay segued between discussions on national tennis ratings and their aims, ambitions and goals for the future with respect to participation and retention. DEVELOPMENT ROUND-UP Participation conversation continues ITF World Tennis Number project announced For further information on the ITF World Tennis Number, visit www.worldtennisnumber.com from the National Associations of Canada, China, Ireland, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and Tennis Europe. Sports technology experts ClubSpark are building the ITF World Tennis Number digital platform. This platform will create a global online tennis community, enabling players to access their number and statistics from anywhere in the world, record and measure their progress and interact with other tennis players. The digital platform will also assist tournament organisers in the staging of competitions based on ability levels. The ITF World Tennis Number branding and digital products were unveiled to National Associations at the ITF Conference and AGM in Lisbon in September. The ITF World Tennis Number platform is planned to be in operation towards the end of this year, with National Associations launching officially within each country from 2020. Tennis legend Billie Jean King was a keynote speaker at the ITF Worldwide Participation Conference in July

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