ITF

In 2014, $4.66 million was spent on development projects throughout the world, with $2.64 million being provided by the ITF and $1.71 million by the Grand Slam nations (via the Grand Slam® Development Fund (GSDF)). In addition, more than $310,000 was provided by Olympic Solidarity (OS). The successful implementation of the ITF development initiatives relies on the work of the ten ITF Development Officers who are the 'eyes and ears' of the ITF Development programme. In 2014 there was one change to the development team: Amir Borghei of Iran was appointed Development Officer for West Asia. One of the important areas of activity for the ITF Development Officers is coach education. Many national associations do not have their own coach education programme and the ITF tries to help them develop their own and in turn improve the level of tennis coaching throughout the world. In 2014, 59 coaching courses were organised by the ITF along with six regional coaches' conferences. Nineteen of the courses were funded by OS. The regional coaches' conferences allow coaches to keep up-to-date on the latest tennis coaching and sport science findings. More than 600 coaches attended the conferences, which are held biennially in Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia. A selection of keynote presentations from the regional conferences will be available on Tennis iCoach in order to allow coaches who were unable to attend the conferences to benefit from the expertise and knowledge of many of the world's leading coaching experts. Tennis iCoach is the ITF's online coaching and sport science distance learning platform. Following extensive redevelopment work in 2013, the revamped website now includes a more user-friendly interface and powerful search filters that allow coaches, parents and players to access content relevant to them from a library of over 1,500 educational articles, videos and conference presentations. A total of 23 national associations now subscribe to the website on an annual basis to provide their coaches with the most up-to-date coaching information. It is important to acknowledge the continued support the ITF and its member nations receive from OS. In addition to grants for technical courses, OS has also provided scholarships for five coaches from different countries to undergo an intensive course of high-level training and study in Valencia, Spain. One of the main objectives of the Development Department is to increase the number of and improve the standard of players. The ITF/GSDF Player Development Pathway illustrates how initiatives from the Development programme can assist a talented player from their first experience playing at school or in a club, through to the top levels of junior tennis, and on to the professional game and representing their countries in Davis Cup or Fed Cup. The Pathway operates at both national and international level. The national level helps countries to establish a 14 & under Junior Development programme through the Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI). ITF assistance for the national JTI can include a subsidy to help a national association hire a coordinator, free equipment, educational resources and regular visits from the ITF Development Officers who work with the national JTI coordinator to ensure that the programme is successful. In 2014, the ITF distributed 4,606 rackets, 3,136 bats and 115,560 balls to 96 JTI nations. At the international level, the Pyramid of Opportunity offers players progressing from their national programmes the chance to gain valuable training and competitive opportunities. The Pyramid includes ITF/ GSDF-funded junior circuits, ITF/GSDF junior touring teams, ITF training centres and GSDF travel grants. In 2014, 27 regional junior events (in the 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 18 & under age groups) across five continents took place with financial assistance from the ITF and the GSDF, as well as technical assistance from the ITF Development Officers. (Continued overleaf ) DEVELOPMENT: ITF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 19 ITF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

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