Tennis coaches host clinic in eMbalenhle
Young tennis players can become members at tennis club.
eMBALENHLE – eMbalenhle Tennis Club and Sasol hosted a tennis coaching clinic for children from schools in the area on Saturday, June 19.
The purpose of the clinic was to promote tennis and to introduce the sport to children as a means to involve them in a sport and get them off the streets.
About 90 children from as young as four years old attended the clinic.
Seasoned tennis player, Mr Sabelo Mathebula of Mpumalanga Tennis, said the development section kept the children busy for the better part of Saturday morning.
Mr Elliot Skosana, the provincial development officer and deputy president of Mpumalanga Tennis, was supported by Mr Mathebula to lead a team of local coaches on the day.
Tennis South Africa is currently on a campaign to revive the sport in the country, and the Mpumalanga Tennis Association is also doing its bit to keep the fire burning in the province.
The clinic in eMbalenhle is part of a bigger plan which began in Ehlanzeni District late last year to activate tennis in the townships and rural communities.
Mr Mathebula said: “It is expected that more communities in the Gert Sibande District will benefit from this development programme.
“The kids who attended the clinic will now be absorbed by the eMbalenhle Tennis Club which operates under the Sasol Community Sport Centre.”
According to Mr Lungelo Zinti who is the chairman of the club, every child is requested to pay a membership fee of R50 from July 1.
This membership will give them twelve months’ access into the facility and it will also help them benefit from various things, including weekly coaching sessions, support to take part in tournaments, access to equipment and more.
Mr Themba Ndaba who is a local coach and part of the soon to be launched Elliot Skosana Tennis Academy (ESTA) will be responsible for the daily coaching of the children in eMbalenhle.
