Tennis Ireland receives Gold Award for gender equality strategy

The International Tennis Federation has announced the inaugural winners of its Advantage All Reward & Recognition programme.

The programme, which was introduced in 2022, rewards national associations for what they have done in their country to promote and progress lasting change towards achieving gender balance and equal opportunity, for the chance to win a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Award. 

Nineteen nations entered best practice case studies showcasing the great work that is being done. It was clear from these case studies, and the stories they tell, that each country is in a different place on the journey towards equality and inclusion and are faced with a wide range of cultural challenges across the globe. 

ITF president, Dave Haggerty said: “Advantage All is a long-term project, and we salute all national tennis associations who have made even small steps to achieving an equitable gender balance both on and off the court. I have said from the outset, this is a collective obligation, not an option. We are tracking progress towards the goals we have set for the Advantage All Programme and through our sport we can see the signs that we are making differences in our sport and, through our sport, in society.” 

GOLD AWARD – TENNIS IRELAND (received Billie Jean King Cup tickets, a $3,000 monetary contribution, and an observer attendance at the 2023 ITF Conference & AGM) 

Tennis Ireland launched its gender equality strategy, “Equal Advantage”, in May 2021. It sets out the vision for tennis to be seen and act as an Equal Advantage sport at every touch point, both on and off the court.   

The strategy was informed by wide consultation and research, and covers all aspects of the game, from participation through to leadership in coaching, officiating and administration.  An ‘Equal Advantage Charter’ was introduced and implemented nationwide for clubs to commit to three actionable changes to promote gender equality in their club.  

Tennis Ireland has secured funding for its programmes, which include:  

• A beginner’s tennis programme called ‘Women’s Try Tennis’  
• A ‘Racquet Sport Coaches Leadership Programme’ which has set up a female network of coaches with other racket sports, in collaboration with the governing bodies of these sports.  
• The ‘She Leads’ programme - a young female leadership course and networking platform to empower future leaders (attended by 37 young women to date).  
• Female-only Level One coaching courses to encourage more women to get involved.  
• Regular monitoring of the gender balance within governance at club, provincial and national level with a commitment to have at least 40% of either gender represented. 
• A commitment to raise visibility by showcasing the current female leaders in tennis coaching, officiating and administration through social media channels 

SILVER AWARD – LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION (received Billie Jean King Cup tickets and a $1,500 monetary contribution to their gender equality programme)  

The LTA launched ‘She Rallies” in June 2022 to keep tennis at the forefront of women’s sport and lead the way for tennis to become a truly gender balanced sport. The LTA She Rallies ambition has created more collective purpose and builds on the LTA’s over-arching Inclusion Strategy.  

An organisational dashboard tracks progress across 50 different workstreams in three key areas:  

• Participation, addressing dropout rates and the number of girls going on to compete, 
• Workforce, particularly encouraging more female coaches to start coaching and progress to performance levels, and, 
• Visibility, to give women’s tennis the same level of coverage as men’s tennis. The LTA is working with Amazon Prime Video to help girls and young women overcome barriers to play.  

BRONZE AWARD - TENNIS AUSTRALIA (received Billie Jean King Cup tickets and a $1,000 monetary contribution to their gender equality programme) 

Tennis Australia’s gender equality strategy began in August 2021 with a vision for “No limits for women and girls on and off the court”. Following an 18-month strategy development process, many different programmes and initiatives now exist across all aspects of the game including a “Women Leaders in Tennis” programme, Scholarship programmes to encourage more female performance coaches and an extensive research programme to fully understand the challenges ahead. 

Goals and performance metrics were endorsed by the Tennis Australia Board and helped to secure multiple million dollars of Government funding to support these wide-ranging programmes. Tennis Australia is also supporting initiatives to promote gender equality in the Oceania region.  

The ITF Advantage All R&R Award jury is comprised of the Chair and all members of the ITF Advantage All Committee.