RECEPTION students at a Riverland primary school received a special gift from Tennis SA staff last Wednesday.
Brand new tennis racquets were donated to 45 Loxton Primary School students as part of Tennis Australia and ANZ’s initiative to get kids moving.
The ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow campaign will deliver racquets to 30,000 first year primary school students at more than 800 schools across Australia.
By December, 170,000 racquets will have been delivered to schools since 2015.
This initiative to introduce more kids to tennis comes as reports continue to be released about declining levels of activity in children.
“There are so many skills that kids can develop at a young age by playing tennis, regardless of whether that’s on the court, in their backyard or even in their lounge room” said Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge.
Tennis Australia’s chief tennis officer Matt Dwyer said the importance of keeping kids active was crucial.
“Our partnership with ANZ has given 170,000 kids across Australia the opportunity to get active and enjoy playing tennis as part of a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
“After the disrupted year our kids have had, keeping them active and engaged is even more important for their overall wellbeing.
“ANZ has helped us put racquets in their hands, giving kids the tools they need to be creative in how they experience our sport.”
ANZ managing director retail Katherine Bray said her company was proud to be part of the initiative.
“We’re really proud of our continued support of tennis at a grassroots level, encouraging Australians to get active and look after their wellbeing,” she said.
“Over the past five years this partnership with Tennis Australia has delivered racquets to thousands of communities across the country, helping young kids to get involved in community sports like tennis.”
For further information about ANZ Tennis Hot Shots, visit www.hotshots.tennis.com.au.