COACHING & SPORT

SCIENCE REVIEW
www.itfcoachingreview.com. August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. ISSN 2225-4757

Issue 90
Editorial 2
Luca Santilli & Miguel Crespo

Analysis of tennis training opportunities in the system of Latvian sport education 4

Irina Kuzmina-Rimša & Rihards Parandjuks

Tennis and mental health: The role of national federations in the promotion and prevention of 10
mental health and wellbeing
Lucía Jiménez Almendros

A business perspective of The United States Tennis Association’s American Development 13

Model: Discover, Develop, Play
Karl Davies & E. Paul Roetert

Diverse and inclusive tennis governance: Threading inclusive leadership practices into director 17
selection
Tracy Molloy, Kelly McCallum, Lesley Ferkins & Charlotte Jelleyman

Development of national tennis player value chain structure: Statistical analysis of tennis 24
player pathway
Andi Cakravastia, Titah Yudhistira, Andi Ameera Sayaka Cakravastia & Martin Setiawan

Management strategies of the Paraguayan Tennis Association with the Olympic Solidarity 28
Programmes
Larissa Schaerer

The challenge of managing player development in a VUCA environment 33

Gaston Brum & Fernando Vilches

Gender equality strategies at national association level. Examples of best practices in Central 37
and South America
Cecilia Ancalmo, Fabiola Zuluaga, Macarena Miranda, Patricia Castro & Darlene Kahn

Recommended books & web links 41

Editors
 COACHING & SPORT
SCIENCE REVIEW
www.itfcoachingreview.com. August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. ISSN 2225-4757

Editorial
Luca Santilli & Miguel Crespo
Tennis Development, Development Department, International Tennis Federation, London, UK.

Welcome to issue 90 of the ITF Coaching and Sport Science ITF’S 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS
Review. This issue is the second one of 2023. It is available in the
In a press release published on 19th July 2023, the ITF reported
ITF Academy as well as in the new page of the journal, which can
a robust financial health as the tennis governing body and a major
be accessed here.
increase in funding for international development of the game.
This issue is dedicated to tennis management at national The main aspects of this report are included in the following table:
association or federation levels. These non-for-profit
organisations are the governing bodies of tennis in their respective Table 1
nations and play a crucial role in the context of promoting tennis ITF’s financial health and increase in funding.
participation and performance at all levels of the game. Articles in
this issue cover topics related to their governance and leadership,
• Tennis global guardian reveals strong recovery from
their relationships with their National Olympic Committees,
pandemic with 2022 revenues surpassing pre-Covid
their culture and development models, their approach to high-
levels by double digits.
performance, gender inclusion, player development, or mental
health programmes, etc. This content will be supporting a • This enabled a 30.2% year-on-year increase in its
National Association Management Course that will be launched investment in the global game, including a 44.9%
in the ITF Academy in due course.
increase in funding international tennis development.
The following sections of this editorial will share the financial • 95.4% increase in ITF’s investment in tennis since
results of the ITF in 2022 as well as the programs that implement
introduction of ITF2024 long-term growth strategy.
the ITF 2024 strategy for the development of tennis in the world.
• ITF Annual Review highlights much progress in 2022,
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing
including its Junior Tennis Initiative introducing 18%
body of tennis. Founded in 1913, its purpose is to ensure the long-
more children to tennis than previous year.
term growth and sustainability of the sport, delivering tennis for
future generations in association with its 213-member National • ITF President David Haggerty predicted positive
Associations. The ITF oversees the rules and regulations that pipeline of commercial developments ahead.
govern international and national competition.

The ITF is responsible for the worldwide development of tennis The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced its 2022
through its highly regarded global Development Programme, its financial results, reporting that it increased revenues by 47.6%
Science and Technical department which monitors equipment year-on-year to $98.3 million [2021: $66.6 million] – exceeding
and technology, and its Officiating department which oversees pre- Covid revenues by 10.8% [2019: $88.7 million].
the education and advancement of officials. The ITF organises up
to 1850 men’s, women’s, and junior tournaments on the ITF World The world governing body of tennis was able to convert the
Tennis Tour, and manages the ITF junior team competitions, ITF majority of this income into $85.0 million of contribution to the
Beach Tennis World Tour, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and global game last year, up by 30.2% from $65.3million in Covid-
the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour. impacted 2021. The ITF’s mission is to deliver tennis for future
generations, and this includes reinvesting significantly in the
The ITF is the owner and rightsholder of the men’s and women’s sport around the world.
World Cups of Tennis, Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup by
Gainbridge respectively, the two largest annual international The ITF spent $12.0 million on international tennis development,
team competitions in tennis. The ITF manages the Olympic Tennis marking a substantial 44.9% increase from the previous year
Event on behalf of the IOC and the Paralympic Tennis Event on [2021: $8.3 million]. This increased funding supported the work
behalf of the IPC and the Qualification Pathways for both events of the ITF’s member nations in increasing participation and
at the Games. For further information please visit www.itftennis. developing talent from the grassroots up.
com.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 2

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

The ITF increased post-tax profits from its operating activities • Records set in Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup
by $13.9 million to $5.6 million in 2022 from a pandemic- competitions – The ITF’s World Cup of Tennis events
impacted deficit of $8.3 million in 2021. The ITF Board chose to both enjoyed record participation, with 145 nations
invest $3.0 million after tax into strategic projects (including the competing in Davis Cup and 110 nations in Billie Jean
World Tennis Number and Balanced Calendar Project) and its King Cup by Gainbridge. The revamped Finals of both
investment portfolio produced a negative $5.0 million return in events continued to settle into their new formats and
2022, reflecting global financial market performance. attract strong TV viewership and good fan engagement
in stadiums and online, thanks in part to inspirational
The ITF maintains significant reserves as part of underpinning
its financial sustainability and for use on strategic projects and first-time triumphs for Canada and Switzerland
investments where necessary. As of 31st December 2022, these respectively. For Davis Cup, the ITF and the ATP forged
totalled $40.2 million. an unprecedented alliance which means that the Davis
Cup Finals and Qualifier ties are now an official part of the
men’s calendar. For Billie Jean King Cup, the ITF achieved
ITF2024 STRATEGY DELIVERING TANGIBLE GROWTH its ambition of offering women competing in the Finals
The introduction of ‘ITF2024’, the ITF’s long-term plan for
equivalent prize money to that available in Davis Cup.
sustainable growth announced in mid-2016, has driven a The ITF’s goals for equity in Billie Jean King Cup are fully
significant upturn in the ITF’s financial performance and enabled supported by its commercial partners Gainbridge, who
record levels of funding for the global game. The ITF’s reinvestment joined as the event’s new title sponsor in 2022, and Tory
in tennis has grown by 95.4% or $41.5 million since ITF2024 was Burch, who came on board as official outfitter.
launched [2015: $43.5 million -> 2022: $85.0 million]. • Tennis for everyone – Through its Advantage All gender
ITF2024 has focused on eight priorities, which it has framed equality programme the ITF is committed to levelling
as Opportunity (including the World Tennis Tour for men, the playing field for women and girls across all areas of
women and juniors, the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, the tennis. In addition to investing to support a balanced
World Tennis Masters Tour and Beach Tennis World Tour), calendar for the ITF World Tennis Tour in 2022 and
Development, Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, equivalent prize money between the men and women’s
Olympics & Paralympics, Integrity, Investment, Partnerships and World Cup of Tennis competitions, the 2022 ITF Annual
Communications. General Meeting voted for the ITF Board to consist of a
minimum of five women and five men from 2027 onwards
The ITF Annual Review also reported that in 2022 the progress of as a further important step towards gender balance in
the different programmes of its strategy were as follows: the global leadership of tennis.
• Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) – The ITF's Junior Tennis We hope that you have found this editorial article useful. Its
Initiative, aimed at introducing tennis to children intention has been to present some details regarding the financial
worldwide, saw impressive results. A total of 251,737 results of the ITF in 2022, as well as the tangible aspects that the
children (51% boys, 49% girls) were introduced to tennis, ITF strategy has carried out to deliver in the development and
representing an 18% increase from the previous year. growth of tennis around the world.
With 142 active JTI nations, matching the record set
We would also like to encourage new submissions to the ITF CSSR
in 2021, the initiative provided playing opportunities
through the new platform. Finally, we would like to thank all the
at 2,994 primary schools and tennis clubs, fostering authors for their contributions, as well as all of those who sent
grassroots development. in proposals. Full guidelines for acceptance and publication of
• ITF World Tennis Number and Participation – The ITF articles can be found in the most recent issue page on the ITF
has assigned 1.5 million players with an ITF World Tennis Academy. We hope that you enjoy reading the 90th edition of the
Number, facilitating tracking, and ranking of players ITF Coaching and Sport Science Review.
globally. The association shared 23 million match records
with 159 National Associations, providing a potential
Copyright © 2023 Luca Santilli & Miguel Crespo
reach of 90% of players worldwide. This data-driven
approach enables the ITF and member nations to assess
player performance and enhance engagement. This text is under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

• ITF Academy – The ITF Academy experienced substantial You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or
format – and Adapt the content - remix, transform, and build upon the material
growth, with more than 260,000 total users, a 16% increase for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
from the previous year. Offering 200 online courses and Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and
material in 11 languages, the academy served as a central indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not
learning hub for 100 National Associations, a notable 43% in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
increase from the previous year. India and Argentina saw CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms.
the most registered users of the platform in 2022.
RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)
• ITF World Tennis Tour – which is the main artery to the
highest level of the game: The 2022 ITF World Tennis
Tour showcased impressive figures, with 10,216 players
participating in 1,059 tournaments, split evenly across
the men’s and women’s game (526 and 533 tournaments
respectively) and held in 65 countries. They played for a
record $25 million in total prize money in 2022. The tour
provided crucial opportunities for players to compete,
develop, and progress in their careers.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 3

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 4-9
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.397

Analysis of tennis training opportunities in the

system of Latvian sport education
Irina Kuzmina-Rimša & Rihards Parandjuks
University of Latvia, Latvia

Key words: Tennis, sports schools,

ABSTRACT tennis coach, sports system.
Tennis, a sport that can be played at any age, has become very popular in Latvia, and Received: 24 March 2023
its prestige and commercialization have promoted the development of the sport in
Accepted: 20 April 2023
Latvia as well. However, taking into consideration that the tennis infrastructure is still
not sufficient in quantity, there are not many opportunities to play it in sports schools. Corresponding author: Irina
Kuzmina-Rimša. irina@lts.lv
The study's authors wanted to find out why public sports schools do not choose to
include tennis in their range of sports sections. Currently, most young tennis players
train in private tennis clubs. To clarify the situation, quantitative data surveys were
conducted with representatives of sports schools, as well as qualitative interviews
with specialists in the field of tennis. The results showed the impact of different aspects
- the competence of coaches in the regions, infrastructure availability, and the funding
model specifics. Based on the study's results, the authors develop recommendations
that should be followed so that tennis is more present in state sports schools. In this
way, the mass formation of the sport would be promoted. Thus, there is a higher
probability of tending to a sport of increased achievement.

INTRODUCTION From an economical and financial standpoint, sports, including

tennis, have become an important sector of the economy
The history of modern Latvian tennis began in 1988 when
of many countries, and it involves considerable financial
about 50 tennis players established the tennis department
resources and workforce. There is continuous improvement
of the Latvian People's Front under coach A. Mellups. The
in the sports industry, such as its management, financing, and
department worked until the end of the LTF. At that time, G.
the management of this financing. The increasing tendency to
Dzelze, a member of the ATP, was the first professional tennis
commercialise and professionalise sports, on the one hand, as
player in Latvia (Mellups, 2005).
well as the fierce competition for budget funds, on the other
From a global perspective, sport plays an increasingly hand, shows how sports must learn to profit independently
important role in society. This is evidenced by one of the from the resources it owns.
primary messages of the Olympic Charter, where it is stated
In terms of national governance, the national federation
that an individual can fully develop if he develops both the
or association plays an essential role in developing sports.
physical and mental spheres evenly (Olympic Charter, 2004).
Federations are competent in the development of youth
As the field of sport develops and becomes more commercial,
sports, as well as the attraction of financial resources through
the representative function of athletes has not changed, and
various support measures. It depends on the federation's
the individuals in question still inspire the younger generation
activities - which high-level annual tournaments, games,
to become talented professionals in their field.
or competitions will occur. In addition, the financial aspect
Nowadays, the term ''sport'' is associated with various should be noted. In many cases, each federation receives
fields or contexts – school sports, professional sports, and state funding, which is allocated considering various factors –
grassroots sports. In connection with public educational such as achievements. However, state grants are not enough
institutions, the first evidence was already mentioned in for faster sports development. Thus, one of the primary tasks
1860, when sports activities were used as an instrument for of national federations is to attract additional funding, which
developing morality and work ethics in New Zealand. This can contribute to the overall development of the sport.
process was experimental and optional. The changes followed
The role of sports in the nation’s society is generally clear for
in 1877 when it was recommended to make sports mandatory
many countries. However, for the national tennis federation,
by alternating the education system, linking it to the military
the development of the game of tennis is its essential goal.
direction (Pope, 2011). At that time, representatives of the
From a pure skill perspective, tennis develops coordination, a
field of education wanted to use sports as the primary tool to
sense of balance, and overall physical fitness, and contributes
promote the personal development of young people.
to the well-being and the acquisition of healthy habits by

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 4

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

the participants. Depending on the skills and experience, • To organize and support competitions in tennis.
tennis can be played at different levels - from an amateur to
• To study, compile and publish the history of tennis.
a professional level and at different ages (Pluim et al., 2007).
• To implement other activities that significantly benefit
In the national sport and coaching educational context, public tennis and health promotion (Sports Law, 2002).
the Latvian sports education system is primarily based on
professional sports education institutions or sports schools. The role of a coach in the development of sports and
Their task is to prepare students to the appropriate level the overall process is critical. For instance, among many
to comply with the relevant regulations of the Cabinet of competences and skills, the coach must be competent in
Ministers. Now, the number of students is 305, whereas the choosing the appropriate methods and evaluating the training
number of tennis coaches is 16. For example, the available process to ensure the player’s long-term development
data point to very different statistics in athletics, which is also (Athanailidis et al., 2015). Apart from the technical, tactical
an individual sport. It is implemented in 50 sports schools, the and physical elements, the psychological factors should also
total number of students is 6609, and the number of coaches be considered, especially in top-level tennis. The role of a
is 280 (Professionally sport, 2021). Unfortunately, to the coach is to stimulate and motivate players to play the game.
authors’ views, these numbers seem to be quite low. Players will be stimulated by sessions containing enjoyment,
activity, a variety of practices, a feeling of improvement, and
Therefore, the goal of the present study is to understand the the ability to succeed. The game-based approach means that
reasons why sports schools have shown some reluctancy or a tennis coach sets up realistic tennis game situations, in
lack of capability to include tennis in the range of sports they either singles or doubles, so that beginner players can learn
offer, as according to the statistics, the availability of this to play the game. It also allows a tennis coach to give relative
sport is low. technical information so that players can put it into practice
immediately (Crespo et al., 2006).
LITERATURE ANALYSIS The Latvian sports education system, which has already been
The Latvian Tennis Union (LTS) is a national tennis organization mentioned above, is based on sports schools. Government-
that has the right to represent Latvia at the international level supported sports schools must meet the relevant criteria to
and in international tennis organizations: the International move training groups from a lower level to a higher one (Sports
Tennis Federation (ITF) and Tennis Europe (TE). LTS ensures schools financial…2022). By fulfilling these criteria, sports
the participation of Latvian national teams in international schools receive appropriate financial support to be able to pay
tournaments, takes care of the growth of athletes, raises the coaches under statutory remuneration. After analyzing
the qualification of judges and coaches, and works on tennis the tennis criteria, the authors point out that they are not
promotion projects. considered to be of a very high level and are unattainable. For
example, only 5-8 athletes are needed in the training group
According to Article 10 of the Sports Law of the Republic MT-7. Their task is to get ranked between the 1st and the
of Latvia, sports organizations are sports clubs, sports 60th in the Latvian tennis rankings and to fulfill the control
federations, and other institutions. A sports federation is an standards so that the student, a candidate, could participate
association of sports clubs and other legal entities whose in the Latvian national team in a respective age group.
activities are related to a specific sport or field of activity
and the purpose of which is to direct and coordinate the In the case of Larvia, the primary functions related to the
work of the sport or field of activity in question, as well as development and organization of youth sports are delegated
to represent that sport or activity relevant to international to educational institutions of professional orientation or
sports organizations. A sports federation can represent sports schools. The education to be acquired is not defined
several sports or fields of activity. In this context, LTS goals as mandatory, and children and young people choose it based
and objectives are as follows: on their interests and wishes. The state or municipalities can
fund sports schools, but the tasks to be performed should
• To manage and coordinate the activities of the persons not differ. In order to coordinate and organize the activity
related to tennis in Latvia, to represent and implement of sports schools, in 2015, the Council of Directors of Sports
their common interests. Education Institutions of Latvia (LSIIDP) was established. The
primary tasks of the association are as follows:
• To develop international relations and take care of
increasing the level of tennis players. • To coordinate and manage the implementation of
professional sports education programs in the country
• To carry out the promotion of tennis at public activities
and events. • To solve issues related to the operation of Latvian sports
schools and sports clubs, to represent their interests in
• To promote tennis in Latvia as a healthy form of
state institutions and other organizations.
recreation and sports, especially among children and
youth, to prevent the involvement of children and youth • To promote the development of youth sports and improve
in activities harmful to their physical and mental health. the sports system in Latvia.
• To ensure and support the development of tennis in • To promote youth sports in the country.
Latvia and the achievement of high sports results in
• To promote the development of sports in Latvia, the
tennis, as well as to promote the growth of high-level
implementation of sports programs, the continuity of
athletes.
the learning process, and methodical work in sports
• To provide training for children and young people in institutions.
tennis and provide methodological and material support
for such training.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 5

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

The selection criteria referred to above concerning the

criteria for the fulfillment of athletes do not apply to private
sports schools or clubs. However, these organs shall be
subject to other provisions relating to the various fields, such
as the adequate provision of a ventilation system for sports
halls or other safety-related aspects.

There is a different sports education system in countries

where tennis is more developed, similar to other sports.
In some of these nations a great emphasis is placed on
academies. Their primary task is to promote the creation of
professionals in the relevant sport. Academies, depending on
their goals and capabilities, conduct the selection of young
athletes. Two training sessions a day are often carried out
in the daily process, while the rest of the time is devoted
to rehabilitation and training. One of the most developed
systems of sports education is in England. The researchers
have pointed out, however, that an athlete is at a relatively
high risk of not becoming a professional athlete even if one of
the programs offered by the academies is studied daily. Thus,
in theory, an athlete may lose his level of education and not
become a professional athlete (Pummell & Lavallee, 2019). Figure 1. Basic functions of sports organizations (created by authors).

The development of the sport is the education and

competence of coaches in the respective sport. In order to One of the primary tasks of the organization relates to
achieve systematic training of coaches, cooperation with high the management function. In sports, education, and other
courts and federations is necessary, which can mutually agree structures, a vital aspect is the successful supervision of
on the necessary competencies that should be acquired by employees and the organization's development. Employees
the coaches of the sport in question. Although each country should be aware of their roles in the organization and
has its educational specifics and differences, some trends are understand their assigned tasks.
unifying. A system has been set up in Germany, Italy, Spain,
On the other hand, the demographics of the organizations are
and France where the parties - federation, universities, and
crucial. Table 1 summarises the main data from Latvian tennis.
tennis clubs - will cooperate. The main idea is related to the
formation of uniform guidelines and the attraction of former
athletes to continue their careers as coaches (Athanailidis et Table 1
al., 2015). Data about Latvian tennis.

Federations are competent in the development of youth Items Count

sports, as well as the attraction of financial resources through Members of the federation 42
various support measures. It depends on the federation's
activities - what high-level annual tournaments, games, or Coaches 90
competitions to organize. In addition, the financial aspect Clubs 38
should be noted. Each federation receives state funding, which
Referees 27
is allocated considering various factors – such as achievement
or scale. However, state grants are not enough for the Players 789
faster development of the sport. Thus, one of the primary
tasks of federations is to attract additional funding, which This study used a quantitative survey method since it provides
can contribute to the overall development of the sport. An advantages that contribute to the quality of the study such as
essential role in developing sports and the overall governance the efficiency in the use of resources (time and financial), the
system relates to professionally oriented sports schools. anonymity, and the fact that more respondents can be included
They form the basis for the further development of athletes. (Geske & Grinfelds, 2020). Possible challenges of the survey
Therefore, the sports school must be able to provide students method were related to the passivity of respondents, the
with everything they need – transport to competitions, possibility of obtaining spontaneous responses, the possible
tournaments, specialists, and relevant medicine. communication or cooperation between respondents, and
motivation to delve into the answers. Also, this method offers
Considering different management models existing in no possibility and low probability of establishing personal
the Latvian sports system, the primary tasks of sports contact with the respondents (Nind & Lewthwaite, 2018).
organizations, which should be performed to develop their
activities successfully, have been generated and shown in The purpose of the study was to identify the reasons why
Figure 1. national sports schools did not include tennis in their sports
offer. This is motivated because in the current situation tennis
has become one of the most popular sports in Latvia. It can
be played at different ages, starting from 4 years, but the
possibility of learning the game in sports schools is minimal.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 6

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

The overall tasks carried out in the study consisted of the

analysis of the development of the Latvian Tennis Union (LTS),
the process and interpretation of the research results, and the
elaboration of recommendations based on the conclusions of
the research.

The sample of schools that participated in the research

consisted of 21 National Sports Schools where tennis was not
included in their program and 15 private sports clubs which
included tennis programs.

RESULTS
Initially, the authors surveyed State sports schools to clarify
the most critical aspects related to the offer of tennis training
and education opportunities. First of all, in order to be
able to implement specialized tennis training, the relevant
Figure 3. Statement - our city has good tennis traditions.
infrastructure is required. The authors asked for the opinion
of sports school managers regarding the tennis infrastructure Sports schools' views on tennis tradition in their city are
offered by their cities. not rated at a very high level. Most respondents rated their
town's tennis tradition as weak or non-existent. However, it’s
important to understand that this aspect cannot be solved
quickly. Several prerequisites are necessary to establish the
sustainability and tradition of a sport in a city. For example,
high-level athletes, coaches, infrastructure, the "pyramid" of
athletes, and the public's tennis knowledge are some of the
key aspects to this end. In the authors’ view, in order to build a
strong tennis tradition, the fundamental aspect is to develop
tennis at the level of sports schools.

Considering that it is possible to learn tennis in only five

sports schools in Latvia, the aim of this study was to find out
the main reasons why sports schools are unable or not willing
to include tennis in their institutions. From the overall sample,
Figure 2. Infrastructure situation - the opinion of state sports schools. 36% of respondents mentioned that the main reason was
infrastructure problems, while 27% stated that the problem
was the absence of specialists or coaches. Finally, 10% stated
Data in Figure 2 allow to conclude that the overall situation that there was ignorance or fear about the possible response
is relatively good. Almost half of the respondents - 44.5% - from young athletes.
mentioned that the tennis infrastructure in the city could be
considered as satisfactory. However, unfortunately, about At the end of the survey, the respondents were asked to
over one third of the respondents mentioned that the relevant express their opinions or recommendations regarding the
infrastructure is not there at all. tennis education system. The authors collected the most
relevant of them:
The authors point out that this is an essential factor in
actualizing the insufficient educational opportunities in “Tennis is a relatively expensive sport and including it in
tennis. The reason for this is the specific infrastructure - tennis the program of a sports school is an additional expense
courts. The basic of tennis can also be learned in multisport or for the municipality. Likely, the coaches' salaries in the
basketball courts or facilities for other sports. However, the country are also not competitive. Our sports school
special tennis skills such as the serve, the return of serve, the already has a wide range of sports on offer. In the winter
approach to the net or playing at the net, can only be acquired period, no infrastructure is available, only a private indoor
on the tennis courts. The data shown in our study indicated court close to the city area, which is fully occupied”.
that the situation is generally satisfactory, but it should be
improved if tennis is integrated at the level of sports schools. “There’s an insufficient support in providing funding from
the State. Every year, State funding for the salaries of
For any sport to develop and move forward, the city in teachers of existing sports decreases for the sports school,
question should also have a strong sport tradition. Therefore, and municipal funding increases, even though the number
in our study the management of sports schools were asked of students is increasing”.
about the tennis tradition in the region they represent.
“There’s also not enough provision of infrastructure. There
is an outdoor tennis court, but there is a lack of gymnasiums
to ensure the training process (the existing ones are full)”.

“In our city, seven sports are already available in the sports
school, let’s introduce one more in the sports school! There
is a group of tennis enthusiasts in the city.”

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 7

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

When analysing the comments of the representatives of

sports schools, several valid reasons for not including tennis in
the structure of sports schools can be found out. Considering
that relatively many sports disciplines are developed in
Latvia, the system of sports schools also includes many types
of them. The financing of sports schools, especially in the
youngest groups of athletes, is limited in quantity. Therefore,
the management of sports schools has logical doubts as to
whether, by adding a new sport, there will be enough young
athletes for all sports.

The financial aspect is additionally mentioned. In the views

of the authors, however, point out that it can be partially
considered a myth. Tennis is expensive at the professional
level, but initially, at the national level, it can be implemented
similarly to other individual sports. Figure 5. Tennis infrastructure according to sports clubs.

Since tennis education is primarily based on developing Compared to the respondents' answers about state sports
private schools or clubs, the authors of the work would also schools, the available infrastructure of sports clubs is higher.
like to find out the reasons that prevent clubs from merging In general, the majority of respondents rate the infrastructure
with sports schools. available to them as good or satisfactory. The authors point
out that a large part of the tennis sports clubs is based within
a radius of 50 km around Riga. Therefore, it would be possible
for state sports schools located in the vicinity of Riga to
cooperate with sports clubs, as the overall infrastructure can
be assessed as suitable.

CONCLUSIONS
The main conclusions of this paper are the following:

• The situation of tennis infrastructure in Latvia can be

assessed as satisfactory. It was not defined as the main
problem for not including tennis in the system of sports
schools. The most significant misunderstanding of
sports schools is related to the responsiveness of tennis
integration on the part of athletes. Sports schools are not
sure there will be a great response when introducing a
tennis department.
Figure 4. Reasons for sports clubs not to create a state sports school • Private sports clubs are not interested in merging with
system. sports schools. Although mergers would mean excellent
financial stability, private tennis sports clubs point to an
It has been found that sports clubs seem not to be clear overly bureaucratic side.
about the additional positive factors associated with joining
the sports school system. Also, in this quantitative survey, • Tennis should be integrated into the schools' programs.
respondents had the opportunity to express other opinions Firstly, public awareness of tennis traditions should be
or influences related to tennis development in the final stage. raised. Afterward, any sports coach or teacher can be
educated and get access to the knowledge about setting
Representatives of tennis sports clubs understand that up the classes without any infrastructure, whether
the merging with sports schools would contribute to the in a city school or a town. Then, the salaries should
financial stability of coaches. However, too significant an be competitive enough for the tennis coaches to feel
administrative burden is mentioned as a possible threat. As a appreciated and valued. Moreover, it is necessary to
result, the process may not be profitable. In turn, almost every convey the importance of having tennis in schools to the
fourth respondent has not thought about this possibility. principals and explain what they will benefit from such
classes.
At this point, it is important to clarify how tennis sports clubs
evaluate the available infrastructure. • The LTS should undertake the mutual communication
function. The authors of the study indicate that, in some
cases, sports clubs should merge with sports schools.
This would contribute to a greater possibility of building
an internal pyramid of athletes, as well as the stability of
the sport.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 8

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING IOC (2004). Olympic Charter. International Olympic Committee.
Pope, C. (2011). The physical education and sport interface. Models, maxims
The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of and maelstrom. European Physical Education Review. 17(3). 273–285.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X11416728
interest and that they did not receive any funding to conduct
Pluim, M. B., & Staal, B. J. & Marks, B., L., & Miller, S., Miley. (2007). Health
the research. benefits of tennis, National Library of Medicine, (11):760-8. https://doi.
org/10.1136/bjsm.2006.034967
Professionally Sports School Statistics, year 2020/2021. (2021). Available:
REFERENCES https://www.izm.gov.lv/lv/profesionalas-ievirzes-sporta-izglitibas-
iestazu-dati.
Athanailidis, I, & Athanasios, L., & Gioros, Z., (2015). The educational system Pummell, E. K. L., & Lavallee, D. (2019). Preparing UK tennis academy players
of coaching schools in tennis. The case of Greece. Journal of Physical for the junior-to-senior transition: Development, implementation, and
Education and Sport, 15 (2), 208-211. evaluation of an intervention program. Psychology of Sport and Exercise,
Crespo, M. Reid, M, & Quinn, A. (2006). Tennis Psychology: 200 + practical drills 40, 156–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.07.007
and the latest research. London: The International Tennis federation. Sports Schools Financial Criteria (2022). Available: https://likumi.lv/ta/
Geske, A., & Grinfelds, A. (2020). Izglītības pētījumu aptaujas - no izveidošanas id/328709-kartiba-kada-valsts-finanse-profesionalas-ievirzes-sporta-
līdz datu apstrādei [Educational research surveys - from creation to data izglitibas-programmas.
processing]. University of Latvia, Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Art. Sports Law (2002). Government of Latvia. Available: https://likumi.lv/ta/
Mellups, A. (2005). Latvian tennis. Riga: SIA Energy and World. id/68294-sporta-likums.
Nind, D., & Lewthwaite, S. (2018). Methods that teach: developing pedagogic
research methods, developing pedagogy. International Journal of Research
& Method in Education, 41 (4). 398–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/174372
7X.2018.1427057

Copyright © 2023 Irina Kuzmina-Rimša & Rihards Parandjuks

This text is under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and Adapt the content - remix, transform, and
build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any
reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms.

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 9

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 10-12
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.441

Tennis and mental health: The role of national

federations in the promotion and prevention of
mental health and wellbeing
Lucía Jiménez Almendros
Spain.

Key words: Mental health,

ABSTRACT prevention, promotion, anxiety,
Until just a few years ago, mental health has been a neglected - but ever-present - issue wellbeing.
in the tennis world. In recent months, many tennis players have made their mental Received: 12 June 2022
health difficulties public. Although it is becoming more and more commonplace, the Accepted: 8 July 2023
consequences of common mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and sleep
Corresponding author: Lucía
disorders are still unknown. For this reason, this article presents a series of strategies Jiménez. Email: luciajalmendros@
that could be carried out by federations, advocating the implementation of programmes gmail.com
focused on the prevention and promotion of mental health and well-being. Examples
of initiatives developed in various countries are also given. Throughout the article, the
importance of the involvement of federations in the development of prevention and
promotion programmes for early detection and effective intervention is highlighted.

INTRODUCTION
Mental health is an invisible thing that touches all of us at
one time or another. It is part of life.
(Kevin Love, NBA basketball player).

For many, the fact of participating in a sport such as tennis

carries with it the transmission of certain values that can be
very positive for the personal and professional growth of the
present and the future of the athlete who plays it. (Barbosa &
Urrea, 2018). However, sport itself does not transmit values,
but rather it is the personal experience and the influence of
the people around the athlete that truly leave their mark on
the values that young people absorb. Similarly, some theories
argue that the sporting context is not necessarily stressful
in itself, but that stress levels have a fundamental personal
and subjective, and therefore cognitive, component (Lazarus, some of the difficulties they are going through, with great
2000; Szeko, 2000; Szeko, 2000). (Lazarus, 2000; Szabo et repercussions in the media. An example of this is the case
al., 2014). Going further, although some research has shown of Naomi Osaka, who spoke publicly about her anxiety and
that sport can be a very effective means for the prevention of depression problems, and how exposure to the media placed
various psychological problems such as depression or anxiety her in such a stressful position that she was affected on a
disorders (Barbosa & Urrea, 2018). (Barbosa & Urrea, 2018; personal and professional level, hence her refusal to hold
Lawlor & Hopker, 2001; Petruzzello et al., 1991; Scully et al., a press conference at Roland Garros (2021) after her first-
1998; Wipfli et al., 2008).There is a growing body of research round victory. Osaka was heavily criticised, yet she was giving
that shows the strong impact of competitive sport on mental a lesson in self-care and self-respect, given that, in mental
health issues, being common moments of pressure, stress, and health matters, not everything goes, and knowing how to set
numerous conditioning factors that a tennis player lives with limits is an essential tool for prevention.
on a daily basis.
"I say put your mental health first because if you don't then
In the last decade there has been a considerable increase you're not going to enjoy your sport and you're not going to
in related research, such as specific studies on the be as successful as you want to be."
symptomatology of depression and anxiety, and more and (Simon Bales, gold medallist and 5 times world gymnastics
more athletes, including tennis players, are making public champion).

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 10

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Other tennis players have spoken openly about it, such as All the situations mentioned above do not necessarily have to
Mardy Fish, Nick Kyrgios, Paula Badosa, Benoit Paire and become problems, we are simply raising a reality that often
Robin Soderling, among others, to which we can add the goes unnoticed and that has a direct influence on the mental
recent withdrawal of Anisimova at just 21 years of age, citing health and well-being of the protagonists of the racket. And
difficulties in her day-to-day life on court several months this is where the actions promoted by the institutions involved
ago. Mental health has ceased to be a taboo relegated to the in the development of tennis players play a transcendental
background and has become a subject of growing social and role.
sporting interest, although there is still a long way to go.

THE ROLE OF NATIONAL FEDERATIONS IN MENTAL

A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTION
"If someone wants to call me weak for asking for help, "To show weakness, we are told, in so many ways, is to
that's their problem. Because I'm saving my own life. deserve contempt. But I am here to show weakness. And
(Michael Phelps, 28-time Olympic medal-winning I am not ashamed".
swimmer). Mardy Fish (professional tennis player).

Although mental health is an increasingly recurrent topic As previously mentioned, until relatively recently, mental
of conversation, in most cases the actions deployed by health has been an unknown topic in the world of tennis.
representative sports bodies are still not commensurate with Even today, the extent of what can happen if a psychological
the significance of the situation. problem develops is still unknown, and this lack of information
leads to concepts such as anxiety, stress or depression being
Everyone who is involved in the sport to a greater or lesser used too lightly.
degree knows how demanding it is. Tennis is inherently
competitive, there is a score that puts you ahead or behind Research has shown that the most common psychological
on the scoreboard with respect to another person against disorders in high-performance athletes are those related to
whom you are constantly measuring yourself. The scoring anxiety, depression, eating behaviour, sleep, and substance
system itself, the fact of winning and losing -never drawing-, abuse (Gouttebarge et al., 2019; Gulliver et al., 2015;
and the widespread and abundant ranking systems (e.g., Rice et al., 2016). Given the serious impact of any of these
WTA, ATP, ITF, WTN, UTR, TE, leagues, interclub, national pathologies and the potential complexities that can arise
ranking...) put the player in a position where the result, the during intervention, we advocate for prevention and mental
ranking and winning take centre stage. If these external health promotion strategies that serve to protect against the
conditioning factors are not handled in an appropriate way, symptomatology presented by small-scale gamblers. To this
they can become a source of very high stress that for many end, the work of the federations is fundamental to achieve a
people - adults, young people, and children - can be difficult greater and better reach of information and the most effective
to sustain. It is not only the ranking system, but the day-to- prevention strategies. These institutions are the main source
day life of a tennis player also requires a high level of personal of information for people linked to tennis, players, and
and family involvement; from a very young age, those tennis their families; if national and regional federations develop
players whose dream is to become a professional player prevention and promotion programmes on mental health, this
organise their life around training and tournaments. Some will cease to be a taboo and we will all have a greater ability to
change cities or even countries, others stop going to school detect cases that arise around us.
and go online, there are those who stop studying when they
are 17-18 years old because they consider it incompatible There are several programmes implemented in different sport
to combine both things, and simply because they want to contexts whose main purpose is prevention, some of them
devote all their time to tennis. In many cases, this type of are aimed at coaches, such as the English Institute of Mental
situation means that the young person becomes progressively Health in Sport (Cumming & Ranson, 2021) or the "Read the
isolated from his/her group of friends at school and that this Play" in Australia (Bapat et al., 2009), others are aimed at
group is reduced to tennis, in the best of cases, because not the whole athlete's environment, including families, such as
everyone is able to make friends or create spaces of trust the "Ahead of the Game" in Australia (Hurley et al., 2021),
around the competition. On the other hand, there is the family a very broad programme that includes athletes, families,
involvement, the investment of time and money that tennis coaches, referees and volunteers. The Canadian government
entails and that forces adjustments to be made in the family has developed a comprehensive prevention and promotion
dynamic. strategy for high performance, the "Mental Health Strategy
for High-Performance Sport" in Canada (Durand-Bush & van
The hyper-competitiveness of western society is not Slingerland, 2021).
widespread throughout the world, there are very constructive
approaches to sport and competition, of oriental origin, which Within the purely tennis context, we echo different proposals,
suggest understanding it as a form of personal improvement such as the one implemented during the last Roland Garros or
where the only possible reference of comparison is with the one implemented during the last tournament in Toronto,
oneself. This way of seeing the development of the tennis both of which included a series of activities and resources
player places us in a much more friendly position both for the provided to players for the promotion and care of their mental
person who practices and for the environment that surrounds health and well-being. In particular, the Toronto tournament
him/her. From a simple idea we can derive numerous intervention is part of a broader initiative, "The Mental Time
fundamental actions for the prevention and promotion of Out Initiative", which develops strategies around competitive
mental health. and grassroots tennis, and involves high-level tennis players
as ambassadors of the project (https://www.tenniscanada.
com/mental-timeout/the-project/).

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 11

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Organisations such as the ITF itself, the WTA and the ATP CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND FUNDING
have become sensitive to the issue and in recent times have
been developing strategies to provide care for players. The author declares that she has no conflict of interest and
has not received any funding to write this article.
That said, here are some ideas that can be implemented by
national and regional federations:
REFERENCES
Intervention strategies for mental health prevention and Bapat, S., Jorm, A., & Lawrence, K. (2009). Evaluation of a Mental Health Literacy
promotion Training Program for Junior Sporting Clubs. Australasian Psychiatry, 17(6),
475–479
Barbosa, S. H., & Urrea, Á. M. (2018). Influencia del deporte y la actividad física
• To develop training programmes for coaches, included in en el estado de salud físico y mental: una revisión bibliográfica [Article].
the level I, II and III certification courses themselves, in Katharsis: Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 25, 141–160.
classroom or online mode. Cumming, S., & Ranson, C. (2021). The English institute of sport’s mental health
journey [Article]. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55(Suppl 1), A144–
• Promote and facilitate research studies that provide A145
Durand-Bush, N., & van Slingerland, K. (2021). Mental Health Strategy for High-
updated information on the situation of tennis players Performance Sport in Canada (EN). The Mental Health Partner Group
and their close environment in terms of Mental Health. [Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport, Canadian Olympic and
Paralympic Sport Institute Network, Game Plan, and Own The Podium].
• Conduct promotion and prevention campaigns during https://drive.google.com/file/d/12H76N3gLkuiMuePYJymIvKnI8uweX0
national and international tournaments including KD/view
Gouttebarge, V., Castaldelli-Maia, J. M., Gorczynski, P., Hainline, B., Hitchcock,
information and activities.
M. E., Kerkhoffs, G. M., Rice, S. M., & Reardon, C. L. (2019). Occurrence
• Draft a Handbook with basic information related to of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite
athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports
detection and possible consequences. Medicine, 53(11), 700–706
Gulliver, A., Griffiths, K. M., Mackinnon, A., Batterham, P. J., & Stanimirovic, R.
• Provide the tennis player's entourage with a contact line (2015). The mental health of Australian elite athletes. Journal of Science
for information and help. and Medicine in Sport, 18(3), 255–261
Hurley, D., Allen, M. S., Swann, C., & Vella, S. A. (2021). A Matched Control Trial
• To carry out informative talks with leading players. of a Mental Health Literacy Intervention for Parents in Community Sports
Clubs [Article]. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 52(1), 141–153
• Conduct training workshops for families. Lazarus, R. S. (2000). Cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion. In
Emotions in sport. (pp. 39–63). Human Kinetics.
• To provide the workers of the federation with a helpdesk Lawlor, D. A., & Hopker, S. W. (2001). The effectiveness of exercise as an
or a reference person. intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and
meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ (Clinical
Research Ed.), 322(7289), 763–763.
CONCLUSIONS Petruzzello, S. J., Landers, D. M., Hatfield, B. D., Kubitz, K. A., & Salazar, W.
(1991). A Meta-Analysis on the Anxiety-Reducing Effects of Acute and
At the beginning of this article, we mentioned how it is not Chronic Exercise. Sports Medicine, 11(3), 143–182.
Pluim, B. M., Staal, J. B., Marks, B. L., Miller, S., & Miley, D. (2007). Health benefits
the sport itself, but the experience you have around it, which of tennis. British journal of sports medicine, 41(11), 760–768
provides essential values that will predominate for the rest of Rice, S. M., Purcell, R., de Silva, S., Mawren, D., McGorry, P. D., & Parker, A. G.
your life. Tennis is a wonderful sport with enormous physical (2016). The Mental Health of Elite Athletes: A Narrative Systematic
Review. Sports Medicine, 46(9), 1333–1353
and psychological benefits, and it is well documented how Scully, D., Kremer, J., Meade, M. M., Graham, R., & Dudgeon, K. (1998). Physical
regular practice can be beneficial in reducing possible anxious exercise and psychological well being: a critical review. British Journal of
and depressive symptoms and increasing levels of well-being Sports Medicine, 32(2), 111–120. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.32.2.111
(e.g., Pluim et al., 2007; Yazici, Gul, Yazici, & Gul, 2016). Szabo, A., Szucs, A., Gaspar, Z., & Sule, K. (2014). Anxiety and affect in successful
and less successful elite female basketball players: in-situ sampling before
six consecutive games. Lase Journal of Sport Science, 5, 75–92.
While mental health affects individuals, it is a social Yazici, A. B., Gul, M., Yazici, E., & Gul, G. K. (2016). Tennis Enhances Well-being in
responsibility to provide the necessary resources to detect University Students. Mental illness, 8(1), 6510.
and intervene early when symptoms begin to appear. In this Wipfli, B. M., Rethorst, C. D., & Landers, D. M. (2008). The Anxiolytic Effects
of Exercise: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials and Dose–Response
way, we will continue to enjoy the sport and our involvement Analysis. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 30(4), 392–410.
in it will continue to be an excellent form of personal and
sporting growth. It is in our hands to continue building the
history of this beautiful sport in a healthy way in body, mind,
and heart.

Copyright © 2023 Lucía Jiménez Almendros

This text is under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

You are free to share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and adapt the content - remix,
transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You
may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms.

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 12

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 13-16
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.456

A business perspective of The United States

Tennis Association’s American Development
Model: Discover, Develop, Play
Karl Davies & E. Paul Roetert
United States Tennis Association.

Key words: American

ABSTRACT Development Model, Long Term
The American Development Model (ADM) implemented by the United States Tennis Development, Tennis Business
Association (USTA) has gained significant attention for its player-centric approach and Application.
structured framework. While previous studies have explored the impact of the ADM on Received: 24 June 2023
player development, this approach takes a unique business perspective to analyze the Accepted: 24 July 2023
model's efficacy and implications. Drawing upon business management theories and
Corresponding author: Karl
practices, this overview examines the ADM's alignment with strategic planning, resource
Davies. Email: karl.davies@usta.
allocation, talent acquisition, and marketing within the context of the USTA. This article com
sheds light on the business strategies employed by the USTA in implementing the ADM,
highlighting potential areas for improvement, and providing practical recommendations
for other National Governing Bodies of sport seeking to adopt similar player development
models. Overall, this information contributes to the existing literature by bridging the
gap between sports management and player development approaches, providing a more
comprehensive understanding of the ADM from a business standpoint.

INTRODUCTION
The USTA is committed to developing athletes who excel in
tennis and adopt a lifelong love for the sport. To achieve this,
the USTA has adopted the Long-Term Athletic Development
(LTAD) principles as the guiding framework for their ADM.
This article explores how the USTA uses LTAD principles
to guide business management and tennis programming to
attract more young tennis players to our sport, as well as how
to support and retain them for a lifetime.

BACKGROUND
The ADM was launched in 2018 and is based on LTAD
principles (Davies, 2018). LTAD is a systematic and holistic
approach to athlete development that considers physical,
mental, emotional, and social development. It emphasizes the They have also implemented programs that provide ongoing
importance of age-appropriate training, skill development, support to athletes, such as coaching, sport science, and
and competition that aligns with the athlete's developmental sports medicine.
stage (Balyi, Higgs, & Way, 2013). By doing so, LTAD aims to
support athletes who are physically and mentally healthy,
have a lifelong love for sport, and can achieve excellence in Attract, Engage, and Retain diverse participants and keep
their chosen sport. them playing for a lifetime

The USTA uses LTAD principles to guide many business Attracting, engaging, and retaining participants are essential
management decisions, particularly in player recruitment and components of any successful business model, and the USTA’s
retention. The ADM emphasizes the importance of creating a ADM is no exception. From a business perspective, the ADM
positive and supportive environment encouraging athletes to offers a strategic framework that aligns with these principles,
participate and continue playing tennis (USOPC, 2020). The enabling the USTA to effectively attract, engage, and retain
USTA has developed a comprehensive recruitment strategy players, coaches, and stakeholders. This section explores the
that targets children at different developmental stages. business implications of the ADM in relation to attracting,
engaging, and retaining various key stakeholders.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 13

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Attract From a business standpoint, the ADM's emphasis on

attracting, engaging, and retaining stakeholders aligns with
The ADM plays a vital role in attracting players to the
fundamental principles of customer acquisition and retention.
sport of tennis. By providing a player-centric approach and
By effectively attracting new players, engaging them through
emphasizing a fun and inclusive environment, the USTA
meaningful experiences, and retaining their involvement over
enhances its appeal to potential participants. The ADM's
the long term, the USTA strengthens its brand, builds loyalty,
focus on age-appropriate development, skill progression,
and ultimately generates sustainable revenue streams.
and positive coaching methodologies creates a compelling
Therefore, the ADM serves as a powerful business tool,
value proposition for parents seeking a comprehensive tennis
driving growth, and creating a thriving tennis ecosystem that
program for their children (USOPC, 2020). Additionally, the
benefits all stakeholders.
USTA's marketing efforts, driven by the ADM's principles,
effectively showcase the benefits of tennis participation, The ADM's business perspective emphasizes the importance
capturing the attention of new players and their families. of attracting, engaging, and retaining participants in the
USTA's tennis programs. By aligning with these principles,
• Coaching Tip #1
the USTA capitalizes on the model's player-centric approach,
Particularly when attracting children in the youngest age fostering long-term involvement, and ensuring the continued
groups to learn tennis, consider using modified equipment. growth and success of tennis in the United States.
This allows for greater success at earlier stages of learning.
Doing so creates a positive and supportive environment The USTA, as the National Governing Body of tennis in the
that encourages children to participate and continue United States, wants to create a sense of belonging and
playing tennis. community, which helps to retain athletes and develop a
lifelong love for tennis.

Engage
Coaching
Once attracted, the ADM ensures active engagement of
players, coaches, and other stakeholders. The model's The inclusion of the 5 Cs - competence, confidence, character,
emphasis on skill acquisition, tactical understanding, and connection, and creativity - in the USTA ADM justifies and
holistic development keeps players engaged and motivated supports its comprehensive approach to player development
to continue their tennis journey. This engagement is and its positive impact on coaches and the delivery system.
reinforced through high-quality coaching, player-centered Competence ensures that coaches possess the necessary
training sessions, creation of a positive and supportive tennis knowledge and skills to provide effective instruction and
community, and support of multi-sport play (Roetert, Woods, guidance to players, fostering their growth and development.
& Jayanthi, 2018) . By aligning with the ADM, the USTA Confidence-building within players is vital for their overall
cultivates a sense of belonging and fosters a passion for the performance and motivation, and coaches play a crucial role in
sport, increasing the likelihood of long-term involvement. instilling belief in their abilities and creating an environment
that encourages risk-taking and continuous improvement. The
• Coaching Tip #2 emphasis on character development promotes sportsmanship,
ethical conduct, and values that extend beyond the court,
As a coach, make sure you provide opportunities for your shaping players into well-rounded individuals. Connection
players to participate in tournaments and events that align focuses on building strong coach-player relationships and
with their developmental stage as well as opportunities to fostering a sense of belonging within the tennis community,
participate in other sports. enhancing engagement and long-term involvement. Finally,
creativity encourages coaches to think innovatively, adapt to
Retain individual player needs, and create engaging and enjoyable
training experiences. Together, the 5 Cs of the ADM empower
Retention is crucial for sustained business success, and the
coaches, enrich the delivery system, and contribute to the
ADM facilitates player and coach retention within the USTA's
holistic development of players, promoting a lifelong love of
ecosystem. The model's structured pathway allows players
the sport (Davies & Roetert, 2023).
to progress through different skill levels, ensuring continued
challenges and opportunities for improvement (Hainline,
2012). The USTA's commitment to ongoing coach education Sport Science
and development, guided by the ADM's principles, contributes The purpose of sport science integration, as it relates to the
to the retention of highly skilled and knowledgeable coaches ADM, is to promote athletes' long-term health and wellness.
who can effectively nurture player growth (Davies, 2018). Sport science provides evidence-based training, nutrition,
Additionally, the ADM's focus on holistic development helps and recovery strategies that support the athlete's physical,
create an environment that values personal growth, social mental, and emotional development (Balyi, Way, & Higgs,
connections, and long-term player engagement. 2013). By using sport science strategies to guide training and
recovery, coaches and athletes can optimize performance,
• Coaching Tip #3
reduce the risk of injury, and support the athlete's overall
Implementation of a developmentally appropriate well-being.
pathway emphasizes and reinforces the importance of
creating a positive and supportive environment that From a health and wellness perspective, properly integrating
encourages players to participate and continue playing sport science principles is significant because it promotes a
tennis. holistic approach to athlete development. Rather than solely
focusing on performance outcomes, sport science considers
the athlete's health and well-being.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 14

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

• Coaching Tip #4
Provide sport science coaching guidance on nutrition
strategies to promote healthy eating habits and prevent
the development of chronic diseases such as obesity,
diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Integrating sport science principles can also provide injury

prevention and rehabilitation strategies, which are crucial for
maintaining the athlete's health and well-being. By reducing
the risk of injury and ensuring a safe return to play after injury,
applying sport science concepts can help athletes to maintain
their physical and mental health over the long-term.

In addition, sport science can guide the development of

mental and emotional skills that support the athlete's overall
well-being (Davies, 2018). For example, sport psychology can
provide strategies for managing stress, building resilience, and
enhancing motivation. By promoting mental and emotional The purpose of research as it relates to the ADM is to provide
wellness, sport science can help athletes to maintain a positive evidence-based data that guides the evolution of the model.
attitude and enjoyment of the sport. By evaluating the effectiveness of different programs and
ensuring that the ADM remains age-appropriate and aligned
Using sport science information in the ADM is significant
with the developmental needs of athletes, research plays a
from a health and wellness perspective because it promotes
critical role in promoting the long-term athletic development
a holistic approach to athlete development that prioritizes
of athletes and supporting their lifelong love of tennis (Balyi,
the athlete's long-term health and well-being. By providing
Way, & Higgs, 2013).
evidence-based training, nutrition, and recovery strategies,
sport science can support athletes in achieving their
performance goals while maintaining their health and well- Making Tennis FUN
being over the long-term. The purpose of fun when it comes to the ADM is to create
a positive and enjoyable experience for athletes that
Research encourages their continued participation in tennis. The ADM
recognizes that a fun and enjoyable experience is essential for
The purpose of research when it comes to the American
promoting a lifelong love of tennis and retaining athletes over
Development Model (ADM) is to provide evidence-based data
the long-term.
that guides the evolution of the model. The ADM is based on
the principles of LTAD, which emphasizes the importance of Fun is significant in retention circles because it is critical
age-appropriate training, skill development, and competition in creating a positive and supportive environment that
that align with the athlete's developmental stage. Conducting encourages athletes to participate and continue playing
and applying research strategies is essential to ensure that the tennis. When athletes enjoy the sport and have fun, they are
ADM remains up-to-date with the latest scientific knowledge more likely to continue playing and develop a lifelong love
and best practices in athlete development. of tennis. By creating a fun and enjoyable experience for
athletes, the ADM can support the retention of athletes over
Research plays a critical role in the evolution of the ADM
the long-term.
by providing evidence-based data on the effectiveness of
various training and competition programs (Davies, 2018). By The USTA is actively engaged in several research initiatives
evaluating the outcomes of different programs, researchers aimed at developing a fun and engaging tennis ecosystem
can identify which programs are most effective for promoting that aligns with the principles of the ADM. Through
the long-term athletic development of athletes. This comprehensive studies and data analysis, the USTA is focused
information can then be used to guide the next stages of the on understanding the practical outcomes of implementing
ADM by incorporating new programs that are shown to be the ADM and its impact on player retention. This research-
effective and modifying or removing programs that are not. driven approach ensures that the ADM evolves in a way
that maximizes enjoyment, fosters player development, and
In addition, research is essential for ensuring that the ADM
cultivates long-term participation, ultimately creating a
remains age-appropriate and aligned with the developmental
vibrant and sustainable tennis community.
needs of athletes. As children develop and mature, their
physical, mental, emotional, and social needs change. By • Coaching tip #6
researching the developmental stages of athletes, researchers
can identify which types of training, skill development, Provide opportunities for athletes within your practice
and competition are most appropriate for each stage of sessions for match play, interact with peers, receive
development. positive feedback and reinforcement while experiencing
success and achievement.
• Coaching Tip #5
The purpose of fun when it comes to the ADM is to create a
As a coach, use this information to guide the evolution positive and enjoyable experience for athletes that encourages
of the ADM by ensuring that all activities remain age- their continued participation in tennis. By providing age-
appropriate and effective for promoting the long-term appropriate training and competition programs that align
athletic development of athletes. with the athlete's developmental stage and preferences for

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 15

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

fun and enjoyment and creating a positive and supportive its impact on player outcomes, coach effectiveness, and the
environment, the ADM can support the retention of athletes overall business objectives of the USTA. By continuously
over the long-term and promote a lifelong love of tennis. evolving and adapting the ADM based on empirical evidence,
the USTA can enhance its strategic planning, further refine
resource allocation, and maximize the impact of its initiatives
CONCLUSION within the tennis community.
This article provides an overview of the USTA's ADM from
Ultimately, the USTA's American Development Model serves
a business perspective, focusing on its impact on player
as a blueprint for success, blending business principles
development, coach education, and the overall tennis
with player-centric approaches to create a dynamic and
ecosystem. Through the lens of strategic planning, resource
sustainable tennis ecosystem. Through ongoing research,
allocation, talent acquisition, and marketing, we have explored
strategic implementation, and a commitment to continuous
how the ADM aligns with fundamental business principles to
improvement, the ADM has the potential to revolutionize
foster a sustainable and thriving tennis environment.
player development, elevate the standard of coaching, and
Initial feedback indicates that the ADM serves as a powerful inspire a new generation of tennis enthusiasts.
tool for attracting, developing, and retaining participants,
ultimately nurturing a lifelong love of tennis. By adopting the
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING
5 Cs - Competence, Confidence, Connection, Creativity, and
Character - the ADM emphasizes player-centric approaches, The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of
skill progressions, positive coaching methodologies, and interest and that they did not receive any funding to conduct
holistic development. This not only enhances the overall the research.
player experience but also contributes to the brand image of
the USTA.
REFERENCES
Moreover, related research has highlighted the importance of Balyi, I., Way, R. & Higgs, C. (2013). Long-Term Athlete Development. Human
coach education within the ADM, as well as the significance Kinetics, Champaign, IL
of creating a supportive delivery system that fosters player Davies, K., (2018). USTA American Development Model: Discover, Develop,
Play a Framework for Success.
development and engagement. By equipping coaches with
Davies, K., & Roetert, P. (2023). The 5 Cs of the USTA's American Development
the necessary competencies, providing ongoing education, Model. Racquet Sports Industry Magazine, May issue.
emphasizing connection and character development, and Hainline, B. (2012). Positioning Youth Tennis for Success. White Plains, NY:
encouraging creativity, the ADM ensures a high-quality USTA.
Roetert, E.P., Woods, R.B. & Jayanthi, N. (2018). The Benefits of Multi-Sport
coaching experience and fosters positive coach-player Participation for Youth Tennis Players. ITF Coaching and Sport Science
relationships. Review. 75(26):14-17.
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, (2020). American
Moving forward, we recommended that the USTA continues Development Model. Retrieved from [https://www.teamusa.org/About-
the-USOPC/Programs/Coaching-Education/American-Development-
to invest in research and data-driven insights to further refine Model]
and optimize the ADM. This includes ongoing evaluation of

Copyright © 2023 Karl Davies & E. Paul Roetert

This text is under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and Adapt the content - remix,
transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You
may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms.

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 16

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 17-23
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.461

Diverse and inclusive tennis governance:

Threading inclusive leadership practices into
director selection
Tracy Molloy, Kelly McCallum, Lesley Ferkins & Charlotte Jelleyman
Auckland University of Technology, AUT Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand.
1

Key words: Diversity, inclusion,

ABSTRACT leadership, governance.
The purpose of our article is to demonstrate how inclusive leadership practices can be Received: 3 July 2023
threaded into the director selection process as a way to achieve more diverse and inclusive
Accepted: 12 July 2023
tennis governance. In this review article, we have brought together a growing body of
knowledge on inclusive leadership practices for sport boards. We use this knowledge to Corresponding author: Lesley
propose suggestions for the director selection processes. We break down the concepts of Ferkins. Email: lesley.ferkins@aut.
ac.nz
diversity and inclusion, as well as director selection as they apply to sport governance to
offer tangible ways for tennis boards to become more diverse and inclusive.

INTRODUCTION
Commentators and the public are increasingly expecting
good global citizenship from our sport organisations. Broader
societal goals such as respecting human rights and dignity
(International Tennis Federation [ITF], 2023), ‘playing for
peace’ (ITF email signature) and environmental wellbeing
(United Nations, n.d.) are now part of sport governance. To
address these goals, National Tennis Federation boards need
to have their eye on governing in a way that embraces diverse
and inclusive practices. This means they need to have the
capacity to govern beyond a focus on oversight (compliance/
risk management) and foresight (performance/strategy) and
toward their insight objective (i.e., intra/extra-organisational
reflections on matters such as societal contributions) (Ferkins
& Kilmister, 2012; Molloy, 2023).

Such societal goals are lofty, especially when, depending on shining a spotlight on who gets to sit on the tennis board.
the size of the National Tennis Federation, the core business Within these two director selection strategies, we integrate
of developing and delivering tennis (oversight and foresight), a growing body of research that is helping to expand an
likely captures most of the management and governance understanding of inclusive leadership practices. Thus, in the
time and attention. Capacity may restrict the Federation’s sections below, we first offer the benefit of the latest research
ability to promote its insight objective that is more orientated and insight about diversity and inclusion as it applies to
toward ‘societal contributions’, and related imperatives of sport governance in general, and tennis boards in particular.
diversity and inclusion. How then, to make such an ‘insight’-ful We explain the nuanced distinction between diversity and
aspiration a reality? inclusion and relate these ideas to inclusive leadership
practices by also threading in concepts of emotional and
In this article, we propose two key strategies for unlocking cultural intelligence. We then focus on director selection
the potential of the insight objective for a National Tennis in tennis governance, teasing out the component parts of
Federation board as well as contributing to its oversight and direction selection to reveal how inclusive leadership practices
foresight focus. Firstly, the pursuit of board composition that can be embedded into this process. Thus, the purpose of our
promotes diversity (demographic and thought) and inclusive article is to demonstrate how inclusive leadership practices
leadership practices. Secondly, board selection procedures can be threaded into the director selection process as a way
that attract and select people with these capacities. Together to achieve more diverse and inclusive tennis governance.
we call this ‘director selection’. These strategies are about

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 17

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP IN SPORT GOVERNANCE Table 1

Global interest in creating a culture of diversity in sport Females
governance, especially gender diversity has grown within
the past decade (Adriannse, 2016; Burton, 2015). However, Year Board
N Notes
recent research has recognised that increasing diversity in members
organisations does not automatically lead to the associated 2001 1
potential benefits (i.e., increased levels of creativity and
innovation) being realised (Cook & Glass, 2014; Giscombe 2002-2004 0
& Mattis, 2002; Randel et al., 2018; Roberson, 2006). There 2005-2008 1
needs to be a deeper understanding of the complexities and
processes required to foster the potential value of diversity, 2009-2011 0
through accompanying inclusive leadership practices (Jackson 2012-2016 1
& Joshi, 2011; Randel et al., 2018; Shore, 2011). To advance
this understanding we now explore the concepts of diversity 2017-2019 3
and inclusion as well as emotional and cultural intelligence 2020 2
as they relate to inclusive leadership practices within sport
governance (and tennis boards). Inclusive of co-option
2021 6
and intern
Sport governance – Diversity and inclusion Inclusive of co-option
2022 6
and intern
Although diversity and inclusion are frequently used
interchangeably, they are thought to be conceptually distinct 2023 5 Inclusive of co-option
and refer to related but differing ideas (Mor Barak, 2019;
Roberson, 2006). Cunningham (2015) defines diversity as “the
However, whilst some sport organisation boards are looking
presence of socially meaningful differences among members
to boost representation in broader terms with different
of a dyad or group” (p. 6) and inclusion as “the degree into
ethnicities, LGBTIQA+ affinity, culture, age, disability, and
which individuals are free to express themselves and have
backgrounds, diversity is unlikely to be sustainable without
a sense of workplace connectedness and belonging” (p. 7).
meaningful inclusion frameworks (Buse et al., 2014). Ospina
Or more simply put, “Diversity is what you have. Inclusion is
and Foldy (2010) suggest that a diverse representative
what you do. Accepting and promoting diversity alone is not
structure is not enough to foster differences and additional
enough. Diversity is opening the door, but inclusion is the
leadership practices need to be implemented to ensure a
warmth welcoming you in” (Lovett et el., 2020, p. 7).
sense of inclusiveness, openness, and fairness to facilitate
In terms of diversity and inclusion in sport governance, bridging the differences. Interestingly, Tennis Australia has
recent global interest has been tinged with a focus on the reversed its reference to the common discourse of “Diversity
associated problems of a lack of diversity and inclusion in and Inclusion” by framing this as “Inclusion and Diversity”,
organisations such as tokenism, discrimination and bias (Tennis Australia, n.d., para. 1), perhaps in an attempt to
(Mayo et al., 2016). Another observation is that proactive further emphasise the distinction and importance of inclusion
diversity strategies have often focused on aspects such as as suggested by the authors above.
gender (Mayo et al., 2016; van Knippenberg et al., 2013). In
The willingness of sport organisations’, and tennis boards in
October 2018, the New Zealand Prime Minister and Minister
particular, to embrace diversity and inclusive practices, does
for Sport and Recreation announced a new strategy, designed
not come without challenges (Sport New Zealand, 2018;
to grow female representation in sport governance, called
Tennis Australia, n.d). The theoretical knowledge about
the National Policy of Gender Equity (Sport New Zealand,
how to integrate effective inclusive practices into the sport
2018). The government, together with Sport New Zealand
governance context is limited and the tennis leadership and
(the government sport agency), committed $10million NZD
governance landscape is complex. Existing literature and
over the next three years to ensure diversity and inclusion
research indicate that inclusion initiatives have predominately
initiatives were implemented. As of May 2021, 65 out of the
focused on strategies and policies at an institutional
66 qualifying sport organisation partners reached the 40%
change level and not necessarily at the intrapersonal and
self-identified female board composition quota requirements
interpersonal level (Cunningham, 2015; Parker, 2019).
and the only non-compliant partner had a plan in place to
Perhaps then, in order to ensure the sustainability of diversity
achieve it.
occurring through inclusive initiatives, tennis governance
Tennis New Zealand (Tennis NZ) were among the 65 qualifying practices need to consider how to embed diversity and
partners to achieve the policy with 63% self-identified inclusion practices at a micro level as well (Cunningham,
females occupying director roles within the National Tennis 2015; Parker, 2019).
Federation (NTF) board to date. It would appear that the
Creating an environment where members experience a sense
Government’s Gender Equity Policy (with Sport NZ) helped
of inclusion within tennis boards is therefore potentially
Tennis NZ achieve its own gender equity aspirations as prior
dependent on how leaders facilitate this at the micro level,
to 2021 there were few to no women on the 7–10-member
and, enact inclusive behaviours within the board leadership
board. Since 2021, inclusive of strategies such as co-option
context directly (O’Boyle et al., 2020; Randel et al., 2018). This
and intern appointments, there has been more than 50%
is supported by O'Boyle et al. (2020) who express concerns
women on the Tennis NZ board (i.e., 5-6). Refer Table 1 below.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 18

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

about how leadership behaviours and actions influence DIRECTOR SELECTION IN TENNIS GOVERNANCE
decision making processes at the board level. They stipulate
Director selection is the “formal process by which individuals
that to significantly address the influence of leadership
are identified, screened, nominated and elected (or
within governance requires an exploration of integration
appointed) to corporate boards” (Withers et al., 2012, p.
between group processes and dynamics (O’Boyle et al., 2020).
245). If a NTF wants to achieve sustainable diversity in its
Such a process view of leadership shifts the leadership lens
board’s composition, with directors contributing EI and CQ
from focusing on the individual to a focus on the influencing
to inclusive leadership practices, then its director selection
relationship between and among board members (Ferkins
processes could be the mechanism to unlock this potential.
et al., 2018; Jackson & Parry, 2018). Thus, the complexity of
Importantly, the use of nomination committees (NCs) as part
group processes and inclusive practices in tennis governance
of nonprofit sport director selection processes have recently
requires appropriate mechanisms, and this potentially could
been recognised for their ‘board-shaping’ potential (Stenling
be where the adoption of an emotional and cultural lens could
et al., 2021).
be a means to achieve this.

Tennis governance – Director selection

Tennis governance - Emotional and cultural intelligence
The critical nature of director selection for sport organisation
Developing sustainable and inclusive practices within tennis
governance has been captured in a visual representation,
governance structures requires more than a seamless
referred to as the Expanded Integrated Board Performance
integration of practices - it requires a system that captures
model (Molloy, Ferkins & Dickson, 2020) set out in Figure 1.
leadership complexities and that addresses thoughts that
embody the dynamics of intra and interpersonal interactions. As captured in Figure 1 above, director selection has important
If thoughts, emotions, and culture have been addressed as implications for tennis governance. This is because identifying
barriers to inclusion (Gerbert et al., 2017), then embedding an and recruiting directors is the important first step for tennis
emotional and cultural intelligence lens could potentially be a boards to “enjoy the performance-enhancing benefit of
contributor to sustainable diversity. directors with the appropriate backgrounds and skill sets
(individual factors)” (Molloy, Ferkins & Dickson, 2020, p. 329),
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one’s own
who can contribute to the following board factors:
emotions to guide one’s thinking and actions when working
with others (Middleton, 2014). EI is about self-awareness, self- • Structure - appropriate diversity in board composition;
management, social awareness, and relationship management
(Goleman, 2020). Developing inclusive leaders with EI skills • Processes – adoption and implementation of relevant
and abilities particularly at an intrapersonal and interpersonal practices and policies; and
level may help to promote healthy environments (Jada et al.,
• Intra-group dynamics – constructive engagement with
2016; Warrier, 2021), such as within a NTF board.
each other in their oversight, foresight, and insight
Cultural intelligence (CQ) is also recognised as a core objectives.
competence of inclusive leadership (Paiuc, 2021) and is There is very little sport specific research about director
often linked with EI (Darvishmotevali et al., 2018; Richard- selection (Molloy, Dickson & Ferkins, 2020), however we can
Eaglin, 2021; Rockstuchl et al., 2011). CQ is defined as identify four key features of director selection: the structure/
the capacity to communicate, relate and work effectively model, method, processes, and criteria (Molloy, Dickson &
within environments that are characterised by high cultural Ferkins, 2020; Molloy, Ferkins & Dickson, 2020). We discuss
complexity (Andreson, 2017; Ang & Van Dyne et al., 2007; each below.
Middleton, 2014). This concept of CQ applied to a leadership
context has been garnering increasing interest amongst Feature 1: Director selection structure/model
‘Western’ scholars (Ang & Van Dyne et al., 2007; Clark &
Polesello, 2017; Middleton, 2014; Thomas, 2006). Whilst the In New Zealand and Australia’s typically federated sport
CQ literature is evolving, research still tends to focus around governance system, there has been a shift away from the
CQ as an individual leader construct rather than an integral traditional “delegate/representative (competitive democracy)
component of organisational or board leadership processes model [to] the independent (whole-of-sport) model” (Molloy,
(Andreson 2017; Moon, 2010). However, Clark and Polesello Dickson & Ferkins, 2020, p. 338). In the independent model,
(2017) argue that a combined application of EI and CQ can directors are selected to promote the best interests of the
influence positive organisational change with respect to organisation or sport as a whole, not to represent a particular
diversity and inclusion barriers. constituency (whether it be club, regional sport organisation,
or sport discipline).
Thus, if EI and CQ are considered powerful elements of
inclusive leadership practices, how then might they influence Feature 2: Director selection method
an aspiration for diverse and inclusive tennis governance?
National sport organisation (NSO) director selection methods
For this, we return to our two director selection strategies
in New Zealand commonly include election (by and/or from
(the pursuit of diverse board composition through targeted
within the membership), appointment (by a nomination
processes). In other words, why not recruit for EI and CQ, so
committee or appointments panel) and co-option (by the
that those who sit on a tennis board can influence inclusive
existing board). For example, the Ferkins and Shilbury (2010)
leadership practices to achieve more diverse and inclusive
action research project with Tennis NZ records its shift from
tennis governance?
a 10-person management committee to a 100% appointed
board, to a hybrid approach with four appointed and four
regionally elected board members. This hybrid approach

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 19

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Figure 1. Director Selection in the Expanded Integrated Board Performance Model.

Note. The Integrated Board Performance model was originally produced by Hoye & Doherty (2011) and recently expanded (as denoted by the
broken lines and italics) by Molloy, Ferkins & Dickson (2020). From Routledge Handbook of Sport Governance (p. 328) edited by D. Shilbury & L.
Ferkins, 2020, Routledge. Reprinted with permission.

addressed a sense of “disconnection between the national Tennis NZ - director selection criteria
board and regional perspectives” (Ferkins & Shilbury, 2010,
The Tennis NZ constitution requires its NC (or board
p. 241) associated with the prior 100% appointed board
appointment panel) to make merit-based decisions
approach.
considering factors such as governance, sport, and
occupational experiences “including skills in commerce,
Feature 3 and 4: Director selection processes and criteria
finance, marketing, law or business generally” (Tennis NZ,
Director selection processes include planning (e.g., identifying 2012, p. 21). This constitutional focus on ‘role-fit’ over ‘group-
board needs, candidate criteria development) and assessment fit’ and diversity/EI/CQ type criteria is common but may be
(e.g., interviews, reference checking, suitability synopsis overcome by how ‘criteria’ is outworked in practice.
development) type functions/activities (Molloy et al., 2022),
with nomination committees (NCs) playing an increasingly A practical example of ‘group-fit’ and diversity type criteria is
visible role. In terms of criteria, Elms et al. (2015) advocate demonstrated in recent changes made by the Tennis NZ board
for the importance of achieving an effective balance between to its board needs matrix. The matrix now specifically includes
‘role-fit’ criteria (i.e., complementary skills and experience) ‘Cultural Competency in New Zealand Context’ as well as
and ‘group-fit’ criteria (i.e., social compatibility). Sport consideration of board dynamics and interactions (T.A. Scorer,
scholars recognise that “possessing cognitive competencies personal communication, 22 June 2023). Further evidence of
such as technical abilities, strategic skills or financial skills is Tennis NZ’s practices beyond what its constitution requires
not enough to be an outstanding performing board member. can be found in its board charter, which was updated in
Emotional and social intelligence competencies are important 2023, some 11 years after the present constitution (Tennis
pillars in perceptions of competencies” (Balduck et al., 2010, NZ, 2023). The following clauses signal a stronger focus on
p. 228). However, many sport organisations still favour, in inclusive leadership practices in relation to board member
their constitutions at least, an emphasis on the role-fit type responsibilities and expectations and state that the board:
criteria.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 20

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

• Determines the appropriate culture for Tennis NZ and New Zealand range from those effectively having the power
models behaviours that both reflect and promulgate the to select 100% of the board members to those appointing or
desired culture (p. 3). recommending only the minority (Molloy et al., 2022) with
the majority of board members being elected by the voting
• Bring[s] a diversity of opinions and views to bear on its
members.
decisions (p. 4).
• Board Members must demonstrate high ethical NC processes
standards and integrity in their personal and professional In terms of NC processes, the for-profit sector has identified
dealings and be willing to act on - and remain collectively a range of decision comprehensiveness (Walther et al.,
accountable for - all board decisions and speak with one 2017): unplanned (low planning, low evaluation), projecting
voice on all policy and directional matters (p. 6). (high planning, low evaluation) and inclusive (high planning,
There is also the opportunity for Tennis NZ to continue high evaluation). In the sport sector, Swedish studies have
to evolve its board charter via the mechanism of board identified NC processes involving minimal transparency and
agreement, rather than constitutional change. In this way, it formalisation (Stenling et al., 2021) within an environment
may continue to more strongly call out EI and CQ as elements of where NCs undertake a range of complex rankings of
inclusive leadership practices within the written expectations candidate evaluation criteria (Stenling et al., 2020). New
and responsibilities of board members found within its Zealand NSO constitutional data (Molloy et al., 2022)
charter. An evolving board charter, and more overt alignment suggests a low planning and high assessment approach with
of the charter content with the board needs matrix and NC an assessment focus on role-fit over group-fit/diversity type
briefings, also has the potential to have greater influence in criteria (see Molloy et al., 2022, Table 4). Accordingly, there
director selection criteria, processes and outcomes. may be an opportunity for NSOs (including NTFs) to better
enshrine at constitutional level, as well as in their practices,
With NCs being an emerging phenomenon in the sport a more balanced approach to the planning and assessment of
director selection literature (Molloy et al., 2022; Stenling et candidate evaluation criteria.
al., 2020), we turn now to explore the NC’s ‘board-shaping’
and EI/CQ board capacity building potential. Tennis NZ - NC features
The Tennis NZ (2012) constitution requires its NC to be
Sport governance – nomination committees
composed of the Chair (or Deputy or other board member if
NCs are described as the “primary institutional mechanism the Chair is re-standing), a person appointed by the Regional
designed to strengthen director selection processes” Centre chairpersons and an independent expert (appointed
(Kaczmarek et al., 2012, p.474) with the overarching role to by the board). The NC is responsible for identifying and
enhance board composition. Again, there is very little sport inviting candidates, advertising for and assessing candidates,
specific research on NCs, however drawing from for-profit, determining appointments (up to four directors) and making
nonprofit, and sport governance literature we can examine recommendations for the elected directors (such NC
NCs from structural (composition and powers) and process recommendations to be considered by the voting members
perspectives. along with all valid applications). As previously identified,
the constitutionally mandated criteria to be applied by the
NC structure - composition and powers NC has a strong ‘role-fit’ emphasis however this may differ
operationally with ‘group-fit’ and diversity/EI/CQ type
In terms of NC composition, in the for-profit sector, recent
criteria being considered during the actual process.
concerns relate to the ratio of independent versus executive
directors and/or external experts on the NC (Aperte, 2016; At the practice level, as noted above, Tennis NZ has more
Kaczmarek & Nyuur, 2016; Nachemson-Ekwall & Mayer, recently undertaken several initiatives to influence a greater
2018). Similar concerns echo in the nonprofit sport sector, focus on ‘group-fit’ criteria into its NC processes. In addition
with New Zealand NSO NCs being variously composed of a to updating its board needs matrix and board charter, Tennis
mix of external independents, board member nominees, and NZ has also recently established a ‘new to governance’
NSO member nominees (Molloy et al., 2022). Of significance programme (to grow more diverse and inclusive governance
are the links, in the for-profit sector, between NC gender capability), as well as invoked its co-option clause to enable
and ‘nationality’ diversity and associated board diversity a more inclusive board environment for indigenous (Māori)
(Kaczmarek et al., 2012). Whilst needing empirical validation, people. A recent board internship has also meaningfully
we suggest the same may be true for EI/CQ capacity and contributed a youth, Māori and Pasifika voice to the Tennis NZ
inclusive leadership practices and pose the question - if an board (T.A. Scorer, personal communication, 22 June 2023).
NTF wants these intra and inter-personal skills on its board -
should it have people with, and who can recognise, such skills Another part of its practices is the Tennis NZ diversity, equity
on its NC? and inclusion policy. Approved in August, 2022:

In terms of NC powers, in the sport sector these include This policy provides a framework for Tennis NZ’s current and
the power (and responsibilities) to identify, recruit, assess, future diversity and inclusion initiatives and applies to every
recommend, appoint, monitor and/or evaluate board level and aspect of the sport, including but not limited to the
directors (Bradbury & O’Boyle, 2015; Brunzell & Söderman, Board and Staff of Tennis NZ and the wider tennis community.
2012; Enjolras & Waldahl, 2010; Ferkins & Shilbury, 2010; K. (Tennis New Zealand, Te Tēnehi o Aotearoa, p. 3, 2022)
Ingram & O’Boyle, 2018; Stenling et al., 2021). From a balance
of power perspective, Molloy et al. (2022) identified the need As noted in the scope of this policy, its purpose is to influence
to explore the appropriate balance between community board leadership practices, which, as per our argument within
(democratic legitimacy) and corporate (professionalisation/ the present article, needs to also influence not only what the
efficiency) logics reflected in NC composition. NSO NCs in NC’s are looking for but the very composition of the NC itself.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 21

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

A further key element of the diversity, equity and inclusion governance. We argue that the time has come for the board’s
policy relates to a stated commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi insight objective (intra/extra-organisational reflections on
(The Treaty of Waitangi) by Tennis NZ, to the founding matters such as societal contributions) to sit alongside its
agreement with the indigenous (Māori) peoples of New oversight (compliance/risk management), and foresight
Zealand (also known as tangata whenua – peoples of the (performance/ strategy) objectives as ‘equal partners’ in the
land). For this Tennis NZ (TNZ), recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi governance of sport organisations. Perhaps National Tennis
as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document. TNZ is Federations (as exemplified by Tennis NZ) may be able to lead
committed to upholding the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi…. the way as the insight-ful sport within a complex governance
This commitment is brought to life in TNZ’s partnership landscape.
with Aotearoa Māori Tennis Association and the Rangapū
partnership agreement (p. 3).
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING
A recent Tennis NZ NC report reflected this commitment in
The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of
noting the diversity of candidates (including eight females,
interest and that they did not receive any funding to conduct
three Māori and four other non-European ethnicities) and
the research.
recommending that any unsuccessful Māori candidates
be approached to explore other ways in which they could
contribute to Tennis NZ’s bicultural aspirations (T.A., Scorer, REFERENCES
personal communication, 22 June 2023). In this way, Tennis Adriaanse, J. (2016). Gender diversity in the governance of sport associations:
NZ is currently navigating its relationship with tangata The Sydney Scoreboard Global Index of Participation. Journal of business
whenua, Māori, as part of its ongoing practices to create a ethics, 137(1), 149-160.
more diverse and inclusive environment for tennis in New Andresen, M., & Bergdolt, F. (2017). A systematic literature review on the
definitions of global mindset and cultural intelligence – merging two
Zealand. different research streams [Article]. International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 28(1), 170-195. https://doi.org/d9jj
We argue that the success of Tennis NZ’s diversity and Ang, S., Van Dyne, L., Koh, C., Ng, K. Y., Templer, K. J., Tay, C., & Chandrasekar, N.
inclusion aspirations will be heavily influenced not only by A. (2007). Cultural intelligence: Its measurement and effects on cultural
judgment and decision making, cultural adaptation and task performance.
a diverse and inclusive board, but by a diverse and inclusive Management and Organization Review, 3(3), 335-371.
NC. Linking back to the Tennis NZ constitution, the Regional Aperte, L. A. (2016). The impact of shareholder involvement in the nomination
Centre chairpersons and Tennis NZ board have the power, process on board diversity. Nordic Journal of Business, 65(1), 41–62.
through their NC appointments, to support this vision of a Australian Sports Commission. (2020). Sport governance principles. https://www.
sportaus.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/912705/Sport-Governance-
diverse and inclusive NC and Tennis NZ board. They can do Framework.pdf
this by appointing people who reflect, and can recognise in Balduck, A.-L., Van Rossem, A., & Buelens, M. (2010). Identifying competencies
others, diversity, EI, CQ and inclusive leadership potential. of volunteer board members of community sports clubs. Nonprofit and
Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 39, 213-235.
Bradbury, T., & O’Boyle, I. (2015). Batting above average: Governance at New
A final acknowledgement, regarding jurisdictional limitations, Zealand Cricket. Corporate Ownership and Control, 12(4), 352–363.
relates to the extent to which NTFs may be restricted by https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv12i4c3p3
their national regulatory context. For example, the Australian Brunzell, T., & Söderman, S. (2012). Board evaluation in the top Nordic football
Sports Commission (2020) recommends a majority of elected clubs. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 2(3),
210–224. https://doi.org/10.1108/20426781211261520
directors (but with all being ‘independent’ by holding no Buse, K., Bernstein, R., & Bilimoria, D. (2016). The influence of board diversity,
other ‘office’ within their membership structure). In Canada, board diversity policies and practices, and board inclusion behaviors on
nonprofit legislation requires that directors be elected by nonprofit governance practices. SIAS Faculty Publications. 644. https://doi.
org/gd2xrt
the members with the board having limited co-option rights Burton, L. J. (2015). Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review
(co-options not to exceed one third of the elected positions) of research. Sport management review, 18(2), 155-165.
(Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act 2009; Parent, Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act 2009
Naraine & Hoye, 2018). In Sweden, for all NSOs belonging to Clark, J. M., & Polesello, D. (2017). Emotional and cultural intelligence in diverse
workplaces: getting out of the box. Industrial and Commercial Training.
the Swedish sport confederation, their NC “must consist of 49(7), 337-339. https://doi.org/gftw82
members elected by the NSO [General Assembly]” (Stenling Cook, A., & Glass, C. (2015). Diversity begets diversity? The effects of board
et al., 2021, p. 6). Notwithstanding any such restrictions, composition on the appointment and success of women CEOs. Social
Science Research, 53, 137-147. https://doi.org/f7mv9k
NTFs are encouraged to explore ways in which they can Cunningham, G. B. (2015). Creating and sustaining workplace cultures supportive
engage with their exiting director selection (and nomination of LGBT employees in college athletics. Journal of Sport Management, 29(4),
committee) structures, powers, and processes to maximise 426-442. https://doi.org/ghtj8j
the diversity, EI, CQ and inclusive leadership capacity in their Darvishmotevali, M., Altinay, L., & De Vita, G. (2018). Emotional intelligence
and creative performance: Looking through the lens of environmental
board composition. uncertainty and cultural intelligence. International Journal of Hospitality
Management, 73, 44-54. https://doi.org/gfr9nw
Elms, N., Nicholson, G., & Pugliese, A. (2015). The importance of group-fit in new
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION director selection. Management Decision, 53(6), 1312–1328. https://doi.
org/10.1108/MD-10-2014-0598
The purpose of our article was to demonstrate how inclusive Enjolras, B., & Waldahl, R. H. (2010). Democratic governance and oligarchy
leadership practices can be threaded into the director in voluntary sport organizations: The case of the Norwegian Olympic
committee and Confederation of sports. European Sport Management
selection process as a way to achieve not only more diverse, Quarterly, 10(2), 215–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184740903559909
but also inclusive tennis governance. To do this, we brought Gebert, D., Buengeler, C., & Heinitz, K. (2017). Tolerance: A neglected dimension
together a growing body of knowledge on inclusive leadership in diversity training? Academy of Management Learning & Education, 16(3),
415-438. https://doi.org/gb4m3b
practices for sport boards which focused first on the nuanced Giscombe, K., & Mattis, M. C. (2002). Leveling the playing field for women of color
distinction between diversity and inclusion. We then related in corporate management: Is the business case enough? Journal of Business
these ideas to the inclusive leadership practices of EI and CQ. Ethics, 37(1), 103-119. https://doi.org/ft7h34
We used this evolving understanding of inclusive leadership Goleman, D. (2020). What people (still) get wrong about emotional intelligence.
Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2-4.
practices to suggest considerations for the director selection Ferkins, L., & Kilmister, T. (2012). Sport governance. In S. Leberman, C. Collins &
process as a way to achieve more diverse and inclusive tennis L. Trenberth (Eds., 3rd Ed.), Sport business management in New Zealand and
Australia (pp. 137-159). Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 22

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Ferkins, L., & Shilbury, D. (2010). Developing board strategic capability in Randel, A. E., Galvin, B. M., Shore, L. M., Ehrhart, K. H., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A.,
sport organisations: The national-regional governing relationship. & Kedharnath, U. (2018). Inclusive leadership: Realizing positive outcomes
Sport Management Review, 13(3), 235–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. through belongingness and being valued for uniqueness. Human Resource
smr.2010.01.009 Management Review, 28(2), 190-203. https://doi.org/gftqtm
Ferkins, L., Shilbury, D., & O’Boyle, I., (2018). Leadership in governance: Exploring Richard-Eaglin, A. (2021). The significance of cultural intelligence in nurse
collective board leadership in sport governance systems. Sport Management leadership. Nurse Leader, 19(1), 90-94. https://doi.org/fk47
Review, 21(3), 221-231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.07.007 Roberson, Q. M. (2006). Disentangling the meanings of diversity and inclusion in
Hoye, R., & Doherty, A. (2011). Nonprofit sport board performance: A review and organizations. Group & Organization Management, 31(2), 212-236. https://
directions for future research. Journal of Sport Management, 25(3), 272– doi.org/c76746
285. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.25.3.272 Rockstuhl, T., Seiler, S., Ang, S., Van Dyne, L., & Annen, H. (2011). Beyond general
Ingram, K., & O’Boyle, I. (2018). Sport governance in Australia: Questions of board intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ): The role of cultural
structure and performance. World Leisure Journal, 60(2), 156–172. https:// intelligence (CQ) on cross‐border leadership effectiveness in a globalized
doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2017.1340332 world. Journal of Social Issues, 67(4), 825-840. https://doi.org/fpjrgn
International Tennis Federation. (2023). ITF code of ethics. https://www.itftennis. Shilbury, D., & Ferkins, L. (Eds.). (2020). Routledge handbook of sport governance.
com/media/7246/itf-code-of-ethics-v5-effective-1-apr-2023.pdf Routledge.
Jackson, S. E., & Joshi, A. (2011). Work team diversity. In In S. Zedeck (Eds.), Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., &
APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol. 1: Building Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model
and developing the organization (pp. 651–686). American Psychological for future research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262-1289. https://doi.
Association. org/bbwtv4
Jackson, B., & Parry, K. (2011). A very short fairly interesting and reasonably Sport New Zealand (2018, December 6). Women and girls strategy. https://
cheap book about studying leadership. SAGE. sportnz.org.nz/about/news-and-media/news-updates/women-and-girls-
Jada, U., Jena, L. K., & Pattnaik, R. (2014). Emotional intelligence, diversity, and strategy/
organizational performance: Linkages and theoretical approaches for an Stenling, C., Fahlén, J., Strittmatter, A. M., & Skille, E. (2020). Hierarchies of criteria
emerging field. Jindal Journal of Business Research, 3(1-2), 46-57. https:// in NSO board-nomination processes: insights from nomination committees’
doi.org/gf9mx8 work. European Sport Management Quarterly, 20(5), 636–654. https://doi.
Kaczmarek, S., Kimino, S., & Pye, A. (2012). Antecedents of board composition: org/10.1080/16184742.2019.1672204
The role of nomination committees. Corporate Governance (Oxford), 20(5), Stenling, C., Fahlén, J., Strittmatter, A. M., & Skille, E. (2021). The gatekeepers of
474–489. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2012.00913.x sport governance–nomination committees’ shaping potential in national
Kaczmarek, S., & Nyuur, R. (2016). Review of the literature on board sport organizations’ board composition processes. European Sport
committees: Taking stock and looking ahead. International Journal of Management Quarterly, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.108
Business Governance and Ethics, 11(2), 89–115. https://doi.org/10.1504/ 0/16184742.2021.1897640
IJBGE.2016.078200 Tennis Australia. (n.d). Inclusion and diversity. https://www.tennis.com.au/play/
Lovett, J., & Lovett, J. A. (2021). Understanding Inclusion and Diversity. Library inclusion-and-diversity
Impact Statements. 246. Tennis New Zealand. (2012). Constitution. https://tennis.kiwi/assets/Files-pdf-
Lovett, J., Rolls, R., & Subramaniam, A. (2020). Inclusive Cultures: Challenging word-docs-etc/TNZ-constitution.pdf
unconscious gender bias in sport. New Zealand Olympic Committee. http:// Tennis New Zealand, Te Tēnehi o Aotearoa. (2022). Tennis New Zealand Diversity,
www.olympic.org.nz/assets/Uploads/WSLA-Inclusive-Sport-Unconscious- Equity and Inclusion Policy. Retrieved from https://www.tennis.kiwi/assets/
Bias-June-2020.pdf Files-pdf-word-docs-etc/Gov/TENNIS-NEW-ZEALAND_Governance-
Mayo, M., van Knippenberg, D., Guillen, L., & Firfiray, S. (2016). Team diversity and Policy-nr-1_Board-Charter.pdf
categorization salience: Capturing diversity-blind, intergroup-biased, and Tennis New Zealand, Te Tēnehi o Aotearoa. (2023). Tennis New Zealand Board
multicultural perceptions. Organizational Research Methods, 19(3), 433- Charter. https://www.tennis.kiwi/assets/Files-pdf-word-docs-etc/Gov/
474. https://doi.org/f8s854 TENNIS-NEW-ZEALAND_Governance-Policy-nr-1_Board-Charter.pdf
Middleton, J. (2014). Cultural intelligence: CQ: The competitive edge for leaders Thomas, D. C. (2006). Domain and development of cultural intelligence: The
crossing borders. A&C Black. importance of mindfulness. Group & Organization Management, 31(1), 78-
Molloy, T., Dickson, G., & Ferkins, L. (2020). Director selection, development, and 99. https://doi.org/cjgrd6
evaluation. In D. Shilbury & L. Ferkins (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of United Nations. (n.d.). Sports for climate action framework. https://unfccc.int/
sport governance (pp. 333–350). Routledge. sites/default/files/resource/Sports_for_Climate_Action_Declaration_and_
Molloy, T., Ferkins, L., & Dickson, G. (2020). Sport board performance: A Framework_0.pdf
contribution to the Integrated Board Performance model. In D. Shilbury & L. Van Knippenberg, D., Van Ginkel, W. P., & Homan, A. C. (2013). Diversity mindsets
Ferkins (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of sport governance (pp. 318–332). and the performance of diverse teams. Organizational Behavior and Human
Routledge. Decision Processes, 121(2), 183-193. https://doi.org/bsv7
Molloy, T., Ferkins, L., & Dickson, G. (2022). Nomination committees and national Walther, A., Morner, M., & Calabrò, A. (2017). The role of behaviorally integrated
sport organizations: Designing the way to democracy? Journal of Global nominating committees in non-executive director selection processes.
Sport Management, 0(0), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2022.2 European Management Journal, 35(3), 351–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
062029 emj.2016.10.004
Molloy, T. (2023). Nomination committees: A governance feature of New Zealand Warrier, U., John, M., & Warrier, S. (2021). Leveraging emotional intelligence
national sport organisations [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. Auckland competencies for sustainable development of higher education institutions
University of Technology. in the new normal. FIIB Business Review, 10(1), 62-73. https://doi.org/hr8g
Moon, T. (2010). Emotional intelligence correlates of the four‐factor model of Withers, M. C., Hillman, A. J., & Cannella, A. A. J. (2012). A multidisciplinary review
cultural intelligence. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 25(8), 876-898. of the director selection literature. Journal of Management, 38(1), 243–277.
https://doi.org/dhxn63 https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311428671
Mor Barak, M. E. (2019). Social good science and practice: A new framework for
organizational and managerial research in human service organizations.
Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, Copyright © 2023 Tracy Molloy, Kelly McCallum, Lesley Ferkins, Charlotte
43(4), 314-325. https://doi.org/hr78 Jelleyman
Nachemson-Ekwall, S., & Mayer, C. (2018). Nomination committees and corporate
governance: Lessons from Sweden and the UK (Saïd Business School WP
2018-12). http://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3170397
O'Boyle, I., Shilbury, D., & Ferkins, L. (2020). Leadership in and out of the sport This text is under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
boardroom: new empirical insights. European Sport Management Quarterly. You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or
https://doi.org/hr8c format – and Adapt the content - remix, transform, and build upon the material
Ospina, S., & Foldy, E. (2010). Building bridges from the margins: The work of for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
leadership in social change organizations. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(2),
292-307. https://doi.org/dhq697 Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and
Paiuc, D. (2021). Cultural intelligence as a core competence of inclusive leadership. indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not
in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
Management dynamics in the knowledge economy, 9(3), 363-378.
Parent, M. M., Naraine, M. L., & Hoye, R. (2018). A new era for governance CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms.
structures and processes in Canadian national sport organizations. Journal
of Sport Management, 32(6), 555–566. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2018-
0037
RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)
Parker, S. (2019). Women in sport governance: Challenging institutionalised
practices in a national sport organisation [Dissertation, Auckland University
of Technology]. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/12552

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 23

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 24-27
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.459

Development of national tennis player value chain

structure: Statistical analysis of tennis player
pathway
Andi Cakravastia1, Titah Yudhistira1,2, Andi Ameera Sayaka Cakravastia2 & Martin
Setiawan3
1
Industrial Engineering Program. 2Engineering Management Program Faculty of Industrial Technology, Bandung
Institute of Technology (Indonesia). 3ITF Junior Tennis Initiative Coordinator for Indonesia.

ABSTRACT Key words: Value chain, national

performance, statistical analysis,
Creating a system of tennis player development to establish and sustain a nation's tennis player pathway.
competitive performance is a problem faced by many countries. This research attempts to
Received: 1 July 2023
implement the value chain structure of tennis player development and the tennis player
pathway developed by Cakravastia and Setiawan (2022). This paper develops a partial Accepted: 25 July 2023
least squares model by analysing the data of 41 countries from the ITF Global Report Corresponding author: Andi
(2021). The results of this study identify number of certified tennis coaches and number Cakravastia. Email: andi@itb.ac.id
of tennis courts in a country have significant effect on the number of total tennis players
in that country. Subsequently, this study confirmed there is a significant relationship
between the total number of tennis players, the total number of junior players, the total
number of pro players, and the total number of players representing a country in the
grand slam main draw.

INTRODUCTION Focusing on the journey of athlete performance, Kovacs et al.

(2015) provide an analysis of the milestone ranking of the top
To sustain a nation' competitive performance at the global
100 ATP athletes. Brouwers et al. (2012) analyse indicators of
level, efforts have been made in many countries to create
junior performance to predict the success of future athletes
a structure for tennis player development from junior to
tennis careers. Reid (2007) emphasises the importance of
professional players (Gerdin et al., 2020). Each country may
competition structure for national performance in women’s
have a different strategy to develop and sustain its tennis
tennis.
performance. Different stakeholder groups, relationships
between stakeholders, and the structure of the overall system ITF (2021) published a global tennis report by providing
may create varying results for nation-wide performance in participation and performance data for their country
tennis. members. This paper is positioned as the subsequent research
of Cakravastia and Setiawan (2022). This paper utilises ITF
This challenging problem attracts researchers to study the
Global Tennis Report data to find important variables and
structure of the national tennis development system from
relationships among variables for developing tennis grass-
various perspectives. The identification of stakeholders for
roots players and to find a path from the pool of talent of
elite athlete development in tennis has been conducted by
tennis players into global tennis performance.
Brouwers et al. (2015b). From the angle of country macro
policy, Crespo et al. (2022) explain the programme of the
Spanish tennis federation. Brouwers et al. (2015) explain
country policies and identify factors supporting national
tennis performance at the international level. Cakravastia
and Setiawan (2022) proposed a value chain structure of
stakeholders and a pathway from grass-roots tennis player
to professional athlete. In this value chain structure, key
stakeholders are the family, education sector, tennis club,
national and local government, national tennis federation,
international tennis federation, and private and professional
sectors. Interaction and collaboration between stakeholders
are required to develop a path to international-level
performance.
Figure 1. Proposed Model.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 24

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

PROPOSED MODEL of the data, player data will be presented in millionths, court
data in thousands, and coach data in thousands. This paper
This research attempts to find variables and interaction
use the latest participation of 2018 and the performance data
among variables of value chain structure of tennis player
of 2019. The latest performance data is 2020, however the
development and the tennis player pathway developed by
pandemic in 2020 limit the opportunity for tennis players to
Cakravastia and Setiawan (2022). Considering the availability
travel and compete.
of the data, Figure 1 depicts the model proposed in this paper.
A path analysis is applied to show direct and indirect effects
Data for this research was extracted from the ITF Global
between variables as proposed by model in Figure 1. To
Tennis Report (2021). The data in this report is divided into
perform the analysis, this research is using MPlus statistical
two categories: (i) participation data and (ii) performance
software. Table 1 indicates that there is multicollinearity
data. Participation data includes: tennis players (number
between the number of tennis courts and the number of
of players, percentage of population that plays tennis, and
clubs. Availability of tennis courts and coaches are the core
player gender balance); access to tennis (total clubs, number
element of tennis club. Therefore, in this paper we apply these
of clubs per 1000 populations, and total courts); and tennis
two variables.
delivery (number of certified coaches, number of certified
coaches per 1000 players, and certified coach gender In Table 2, the number of tennis courts and the number of
balance). The elements of performance data include: ranked coaches are significantly related to the number of tennis
players (number of ranked junior and professional players, players. Further, there is a relationship between the number
number of professional players ranked in the top 250, and of players, the number of ranked juniors, the number of
number of professional players ranked in the top 100), grand ranked professionals, and the number of tennis players who
slam representation (numbers of main draw and qualifying represent a country in the Grand Slam main draw. The data
drawing representation for junior and professional players), reveals that the number of coaches in a country has a direct
and professional players in the top 50 classified by age. effect on the total number of junior players and the total
number of professional players.
Considering the availability of the data, this paper uses
the number of tennis courts, the number of tennis clubs, From the indirect effect in Table 3 and Table 4, the number of
and the number of tennis coaches as variables related to coaches shows an indirect effect with the total players who
the development of grass-roots tennis players in a country. represent a country in the Grand Slam main draw. Therefore,
Following the tennis player pathway proposed by Cakravastia it can be interpreted that coaches increase the number of
and Setiawan (2022), this research is using the number of ranked professionals, which in turn increases the number of
tennis players, followed by the number of ranked juniors, the Grand Slam main draw representation.
number of ranked professionals, and the number of Grand
Slam main draw representatives, as the path of a tennis Based on the result above, number of tennis courts and number
player's career. To develop the career of a tennis player from of certified coaches have significant role in determining the
grass-roots player to professional player, the number of number of tennis players in a country. Number of tennis courts
certified coaches is considered to have a relationship with the that can be accessed is the basic requirement to develop pool
number of ranked juniors, the number of ranked pros, and the of tennis players. Some countries build number of public tennis
number of country Grand Slam main draw representatives. courts, so players at any level can have access to play and
practice tennis. Competitive player need to have experience to
play in different surfaces and it need to be provided.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The ITF Global Report (2021) shows 41 countries with Number of certified coaches is important to increase
complete participation data. This paper uses all of these 41 number of ranked player in both junior and professional
countries in its research. Following the proposed model in level in a country. Further, it is potentially increase number
Figure 1, this paper considers total tennis courts, total tennis representative of the country in grand slam main draw.
clubs, and total tennis coaches as variables relevant for the Therefore, the coach education program in every country
development of total tennis players in a country. Following is very important, not only to ensure higher participation
the pathway of tennis players developed by Cakravastia and retention, also to increase the number of high-quality players
Setiawan (2022), total tennis players, total ranked junior tennis that can compete in international level. In a tennis-growing
players, total ranked professional players, and total Included in country, National Association need to have a coach education
the analysis will be the total number of rated juniors, the total structure, managers, and tutors to produce sufficient number
number of ranked professionals, and the Grand Slam main of quality coaches for all level of players. A system that includes
draw representation. To deal with the different magnitudes certification and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
would be the ideal one.

Table 1
Multi collinearity.

Unstandardized Standardized
Collinearity Statistics
Model Coefficients Coefficients t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta Tolerance VIF
(constant) 125.063 531.367 .235 .815
Total Tennis Clubs -.687 .183 -1.188 -3.761 .001 .069 14.456
1
Total Certified Coaches .128 .123 .112 1.036 .307 .589 1.699
Total Tennis Courts .266 .048 1.862 5.526 .000 .061 16.455

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 25

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Table 2
Direct Effect.

Dependent Independent
Estimate Standard Error Est. Std Error Two-tailed p-value
Variable Variable(s)
Total Tennis
0.094 0.017 5.606 0.000*
Total Tennis Courts
Players Total Certified
0.240 0.133 1.789 0.072
Coaches
Total Tennis
0.012 0.003 3.848 0.000*
Total Ranked Players
Junior Players Total Certified
0.007 0.004 1.997 0.046*
Coaches
Total Ranked
0.473 0.051 9.191 0.000*
Junior Players
Total Ranked
Professional
0.007 0.001 4.850 0.000*
Players
Total Total Ranked Pro
0.097 0.010 9.753 0.000*
Grand Slam Players
Main Draw Total Certified
0.000 0.000 0.689 0.491
Representative Coaches

*significant variable.

Table 3
Total and Indirect Effect.

Effects from Total

Coaches to Total Grand Estimate Standard Error Est. Std Error Two-tailed p-value
Slam Representative
Total 0.001 0.000 5.271 0.000
Total Indirect 0.001 0.000 4.847 0.000

Table 4
Specific Indirect Effect.

Specific Indirect Estimate Standard Error Est. Std Error Two-tailed p-value
Total Main Draw Grand
Slam Representative
Total Ranked Professional 0.001 0.000 4.343 0.000
Players
Total Certified Coaches
Total Main Draw Grand
Slam Representative
Total Ranked Professional
Players 0.000 0.000 1.914 0.056
Total Ranked Junior
Players
Total Certified Coaches
Total Main Draw Grand
Slam Representative
Total Ranked Professional
Players
0.000 0.000 1.582 0.114
Total Ranked Junior
Players
Total Tennis Players
Total Certified Coaches

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 26

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

CONCLUDING REMARKS REFERENCES

This research attempts to find variables and interaction among Brouwers, J., Bosscher, V. D., & Sotiriadou, P. (2012). An examination of the
importance of perforamnces in youth and junior competition as an
variables of value chain structure of tennis player development indicator of later success in tennis. Sport Management Review, 15(4), 461-
and the tennis player pathway developed by Cakravastia and 475.
Setiawan (2022). This paper identifies the number of tennis Brouwers, J., Sotiriadou, P., & Bosscher, V. D. (2015a). Sport-specific policies
and factors that influece international success: The case of tennis. Sport
courts and the number of coaches as significant variables in
Maagement Review, 18(3), 343-358.
determining the number of tennis players in a country. These Brouwers, J., Sotiriadou, P., & Bosscher, V. d. (2015). An examination of the
two variables are important for creating the grass roots of a stakeholders and elite athlete development pathways in tennis. European
tennis player. Further investigation is required to find other Sport Management Quarterly, 15(4), 454-477. doi:https://doi.org/10.108
0/16184742.2015.1067239
variables to attract people to playing tennis. The number of Cakravastia, A., & Setiawan, M. (2022). Role of local club in developing value
tennis players, as a pool of talent, is significantly correlated chain of high performance national tennis athlete. ITF Coaching & Sport
with the number of ranked junior pros. This research shows Science Review, 30(87), 63-71. doi:https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.
v30i87.336
that there is a path between the number of tennis players, the
Crespo, M., Botella-Carrubi, D., & Jabalovers, J. (2022, February). Innovation
number of ranked juniors, the number of ranked professional programs of the Royals Spanish Tennis Federation. Technological
tennis players, and the number of players in the Grand Slam Forecasting and Social Change, 175. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
main draw of a country. Therefore, this research confirms techfore.2021.121339
Crespo, M., Reid, M., Miley, D., & Atienza, F. (2003, March). The relationship
the model of the pathway of a tennis player proposed by between professional tournament structure on the national level and
Cakravastia and Setiawan (2022). success in men's professional tennis. Journal of Science and Medicine in
Sport, 6(1), 3-13. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1440-2440(03)80003-8
Further research can be directed towards considering the Gerdin, G., Fahlstrom, P.G., Glemme, M., & Linner, S. (2020). Swedish Tennis
Coaches’ Everyday Practices for Creating Athlete Development
number of junior and professional tournaments in a country
Environments. International Journal of Environmental Research and
in the model. The resources of the family and the roles of Public Health(17)., 4580.
the government and private sectors are interesting to be Kovacs, M., Mundie, E., Eng, D., Bramblett, J., Kovacs, M. J., & Hosek, R. (2015).
investigated in the model. How did the Top 100 Porfessional Tennis Players (ATP) Succeed: an
Analysis of Ranking Milestones. Med Sci Tennis, 50-57.
ITF. (2021). ITF Global Tennis Report 2021 A Report on Tennis Participation
and Performance Worldwide. Retrieved from http://itf.uberflip.com/
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING i/1401406-itf-global-tennis-report-2021/0?
Reid, M., Crespo, M., Atienza, F., & Dimmock, J. (2007). Tournament structure
The author declares that he has no conflict of interest and and nations succes in women's proffesional tennis. Journal of Sport
that he did not receive any funding to carry out the research. Science, 25(11).

Copyright © 2023 Andi Cakravastia, Titah Yudhistira, Andi Ameera & Martin Setiawan

This text is under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license

You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and Adapt the content - remix,
transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You
may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 27

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 28-32
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.491

Management strategies of the Paraguayan

Tennis Association with the Olympic Solidarity
Programmes
Larissa Schaerer
Manager of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and member of the Board of Directors of the Paraguayan Tennis
Association.

Key words: IOC, management,

ABSTRACT development, strategy, structure,
strategy, structure.
The National Tennis Federations (NTFs) are the governing organisations of tennis at
Received: 30 June 2023
the national level. They are affiliated to their respective Regional Federations, their
National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Accepted: 20 July 2023
Olympic Solidarity (OS) is an organisation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Corresponding author: Larissa
that helps NOCs to develop the sport in their countries through a range of programmes Schaerer. Email: larissa.schaerer@
targeting athletes, coaches, infrastructure, programmes, events, and values. The purpose cop.org.py
of this article is to reflect on the importance of an efficient and professional collaboration
between the NFs and OS, through the NOCs, to use the available resources to improve
the management of tennis development at national level. After outlining some general
aspects regarding the different organisations and their programmes, a section is included
in which the strategies carried out by the Asociación Paraguaya de Tenis are presented to
serve as an example of good practice for other NFs.

INTRODUCTION

National Federations
National Tennis Federations or National Tennis Associations
(NTFs) are organisations that represent the interests of the
national tennis industry within their geographical area. Their
tasks are many and varied as they are responsible for organising
and managing national and international tournaments, as well
as providing technical and coaching services and competitions
to players and clubs, among others. The NTFs manage tennis
on a national level, while acting as a resource and assistance
in developing the structure and programmes of local tennis
clubs. The NTFs work to ensure efficient administration and
generate appropriate competitive opportunities among their
members, while seeking to increase participation in tennis
throughout their national territory. In terms of structure,
the NTFs are part of bodies such as the International Tennis and coordinate local and national tournaments and leagues,
Federation (ITF), National Olympic Committees (NOCs) or train players, provide specialised instruction to players and
Regional Federations by being affiliated to them (ITF, 2023). organise the training of officials. The NTFs are also responsible
for ensuring that all local and national competitions are
These national governing bodies are responsible for the conducted in accordance with official regulations, approved
governance of tennis at their respective level of operation, by the competent bodies. They also develop new initiatives
including overseeing and regulating the national tennis to increase participation, organise social activities to improve
programmes, the schedule of major tournaments at different awareness of the sport and provide training for players and
levels of play, tournament regulations, marketing and coaches on the rules of the game.
promotion of tennis activities, representation of the country
in international tennis competitions and their national tennis The NTFs themselves are organised according to "best
development programme, including participation projects practice principles" and have varying levels of autonomy and
(Martínez-Gallego, et al., 2022). Their main task is to organise responsibility within each nation. The role of NTFs in the

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 28

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

development of our sport is highly influential and beneficial, Olympic Solidarity therefore plays an important role in
as these organisations offer expertise, guidance, and support, bringing sport to the far corners of the world and enabling the
as well as access to world-class professionals and facilities sport system to flourish at the national level. It motivates and
(Browers et al., 2015). These entities create a network of encourages NFs to strive to improve the development of their
institutional collaboration that spans from the local level to athletes. By providing both direct support and scholarships,
the international stage in a way that helps them play a key role Olympic Solidarity helps NFs to adopt a strategic approach
in the governance of world tennis. The numerous initiatives to their management and administration, making it a key
offered by the NTFs promote, develop, and grow tennis at player in promoting success at the international level and
local and national levels. transforming the Olympic dream into reality (Robinson &
Minikin, 2011).
The activities of the NTFs have a lasting impact not only on
the sport of tennis, but also on the entire sports industry.
They help to develop strong connections between different How does Olympic Solidarity help national federations?
stakeholders such as players, coaches, sponsors, officials, and Olympic Solidarity assists NFs through the respective NOCs
tournament directors. The activities organised by the NTFs in each country. The programmes therefore contribute
are also important for the popularity of tennis as they help to to strengthening their capacities by providing support in
highlight new stars and increase the number of fans. different areas, such as finance, education, training, and
technical support. The support is generally directed towards
The NTFs are affiliated to their respective National Olympic athletes, coaches, programmes, events, facilities, and values.
Committees (NOCs) who are the representatives of the Overall, Olympic Solidarity plays a vital role in helping
International Olympic Committee (IOC) in each country. to ensure that the Olympic Movement and its ideals are
Therefore, to access any IOC assistance, the NTFs have to promoted, and that athletes, coaches and sports officials can
apply through their NOCs. develop their skills and knowledge (Chappelet & Bayle, 2005).
Olympic Solidarity's support helps to ensure that NOCs can
Olympic Solidarity offer their athletes the best possible conditions to excel in
their sporting careers.
Olympic Solidarity is the IOC's programme to support the
development of sport around the world. It was created in
1961 and its mission is to use the resources of the Olympic What are some of the programmes available?
Movement to help NOCs develop sport in their countries. Development of a National Sport Structure (DNSS)
Olympic Solidarity assists the NOCs in the form of grants,
educational programmes and training opportunities for The Olympic Solidarity DNSS programme is an initiative
athletes and coaches. It also assists with the organisational developed by the IOC to support athletes, NOCs, and NFs in
and technical aspects of sport and helps the NOCs with the their efforts to develop and manage their sport programmes.
financial aspects of organising the Olympic Games. Olympic It provides financial and technical support to NOCs to
Solidarity has a wide range of activities designed to assist the help them build capacity and develop their national sport
NOCs (IOC, 2023). structures. Funding for the programme comes from a variety
of sources, including the Olympic Solidarity Fund, the Olympic
Olympic Solidarity awards grants to develop sport through Foundation for Culture and Heritage, and donations from
the creation or strengthening of NOCs, providing support individual NOCs. The programme has been running since
to athletes and coaches. It also offers training programmes 2000 and has provided more than USD 800 million in grants
for athletes and coaches, including courses on sports to NOCs in more than 160 countries.
administration and coaching. In addition, Olympic Solidarity
supports the NOCs in organising and hosting the Olympic The programme includes financial support for team
Games. Olympic Solidarity has been successful in helping preparation, training, and competition, as well as providing
NOCs develop sport around the world (Henry & Al-Tauqi, technical support to help NOCs develop their sport systems
2008). Since its inception, it has provided more than $1 and structures. It also provides athlete development support,
billion in grants, training, and educational opportunities to which includes funding for the development of young athletes,
NOCs, helping them to bring the Olympic Movement to their coaches, and sport administrators, as well as support for
countries. athlete education and professional development.

The importance of Olympic Solidarity for National Federations Programme of training courses for coaches
Olympic Solidarity is a fundamental part of the Olympic The coach education programme aims to provide training and
Movement that works to support athletes, coaches, NOCs certification for those responsible for implementing coaching
and NFs in their development. It is important to highlight the sessions to athletes in the country. In the case of tennis,
great importance of Olympic Solidarity for NFs, as it provides NTFs are encouraged to align themselves with the ITF coach
them with a powerful tool to help broaden the participation education programme which is available on the ITF Academy
of their athletes in international competitions and promote in 11 languages and has written and digital resources for
Olympic values (Guzey & Ozbey, 2013). It also enables them different levels of education and certification (ITF Academy,
to create and maintain the necessary infrastructure, such as 2023).
sports facilities, and to invest in the staff and organisations
needed to sustain a successful national sport system. It also NTFs can contact their NOC to request SO to organise a
helps to create development and support systems within certification course. However, to facilitate the process, it is
federations that are critical to identifying the best talent and suggested that NTFs contact the regional development officer
providing them with the necessary resources to help them in advance so that the course can also be approved by the ITF.
play on a world stage.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 29

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Coach training scholarship programme The Olympic Solidarity Programmes have had a very positive
impact on the development of national sports federations.
Coach education scholarship programmes offer grants for
Countries experience an improvement in sporting standards,
coaches of Olympic sports, such as tennis, to participate
see increased sponsorship and marketing opportunities, and
in courses organised by institutions such as International
strengthen relationships between NFs, the NOC, and the IOC
Federations, High Performance Centres, or Universities.
(Parry, 2003). Through better communication and a more
In the case of tennis, the ITF offers the opportunity for fluid exchange of ideas, Olympic Solidarity programmes have
scholarship coaches to undertake courses for advanced player advanced the development of NFs considerably.
coaches (CAP-Level 2) and high-performance player coaches
(CHP-Level 3) in Spain. Coaches must be proposed by their What do NTFs have to do to be eligible for support under the
NTF, endorsed by the ITF development officer, and submitted Olympic solidarity programmes?
by the NOC to Olympic Solidarity, which in turn requires ITF
approval. The following is a list of actions that NTFs must take into
consideration to access support from Olympic Solidarity
Other training opportunities are also available at centres in programmes. NTFs must:
the USA, Switzerland, and Hungary.
• Align with the ITF's development strategy.
• Align with the policies of the national sports authorities.

Why is it important for national federations to maintain good • To have an in-depth knowledge of the regulations of the
Olympic Solidarity programmes.
relations with their NOC?
• To know the structure of the NOC and the people
Maintaining a strong relationship between NFs and their
NOCs is of great importance. As the NOCs are responsible in charge of managing each of Olympic Solidarity's
for coordinating the organisation of national competitions programmes.
and the entry of athletes into the Olympic Games, the two • Have a development strategy based on evidence-based
must work together to achieve success for their countries in programmes that is aligned, monitored, and approved by
international competitions. Working actively with the NOC the ITF development officer for the region.
helps national federations establish better relationships with
the governing bodies of international sport, which can lead • Submit the application for access to the programme to
to greater access to resources, funding, and other support the relevant sports department of the NOC approved by
(Ferrand & McCarthy, 2008). In addition, working together the highest governing body of sport in that country.
creates a more transparent and organised approach to • Provide the necessary and required documentary
national sport events, which helps to ensure that athletes evidence of the basic organisational structure and its
and coaches are treated ethically and fairly. NFs can benefit activities since its creation.
significantly from the experience of their NOC.
• Demonstrate and justify the necessary and required
NOCs can provide advice on financial planning, marketing experience in the organisation and management of
strategies and sport regulations to guide their NFs. This sporting activities at regional or national level.
advice can lead to improved Olympic results, as coaches and
athletes will have a better understanding of the regulations • Outline a detailed programme of activities to be carried
and rules set by the governing bodies. In addition, NOCs out over a three-year period.
provide support and funding to athletes that NFs alone cannot • Communicate the benefits that the programme
facilitate (Camy & Robinson, 2007). The establishment of requested by the NTF will provide to its members if
strong relationships between NFs and their NOCs is important approved.
to ensure that countries have the necessary resources to
succeed in international sport competitions. NFs benefit from • Commit to relevant national anti-doping legislation,
the guidance and support provided by their NOCs, and for good governance, and athlete support measures.
their countries to be successful at the Olympic Games, both • Provide evidence of financial autonomy, financial
must establish and maintain a collaborative relationship. transparency rules and develop a strategic financing plan
and a budget for activities.
What has been the impact of Olympic solidarity programmes
• Understand and adopt the financial regulations of the
on the NF landscape?
Olympic Solidarity programme, such as procedures
The Olympic Solidarity programmes implemented by the IOC for accessing grants, prerequisites payable, financial
have had a significant positive impact on the NF landscape. management rules and their need for exemptions or
Overall, these programmes have had a positive impact on exceptions (if applicable).
the development of national sports federations and have
• Follow the communication, financial and progress
increased opportunities for athletes around the world.
reporting guidelines established by the NOC and its
The Olympic Solidarity Programme has been particularly relevant sports department.
effective in helping these countries find the training resources • Enter the Olympic Solidarity system the monthly updated
and skills needed to create and develop a high-performance list of athletes, coaches and team officials receiving NOC
NF. Through this programme, NFs have contributed support.
significantly to the development and promotion of sport in
their respective countries (Henry & Cuschieri, 2014). As a • Comply with general ethical codes and provide an
result, these national sport federations now play an important informative and interactive website.
role in promoting the Olympic ideals around the world.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 30

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

• Demonstrate a clear policy on gender equality, child Strategic actions:

protection and commitment to athlete welfare.
• Recruitment of persons responsible for the areas for the
• Show evidence of training activities and programmes elaboration, monitoring, control, and accountability of
in areas such as sport development, athlete and coach the various programmes.
education and training, and sport management.
• Having national tutors to carry out the training has
• Emphasise that NF programmes and activities focus raised the level considerably, giving us greater reach and
on the development of athletes, coaches, and sport coverage at the national level.
administrators, while satisfying gender balance
requirements.
• Participate actively in international sport development Strategy No. 3: Improved communication and wider
programmes and initiatives proposed by the IOC. dissemination of actions in sport

Objective:
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES
Reach and reach more people through the right channels with
Management strategies of our National Federation the right communication.
For the Paraguayan Tennis Association, it has been Strategic actions:
fundamental to use and take advantage of the various Olympic
Solidarity programmes to consolidate the work we have been • The various programmes implemented will be successful
doing in the area of training. The main key is the coordinated to the extent that they can be used by students and
and interrelated work between our national federation and coaches.
all the parties involved. This progress was especially due to
the implementation of various strategies and activities that • Clear and concrete communication.
facilitated this improvement, led by our federation. • Opening of other communication channels to publicise
the various events.
The strategies implemented for the use and exploitation of
Olympic Solidarity programmes are detailed below.

Strategy No. 4: Enhance the training programme for coaches

and their insertion into high performance.
Strategy No. 1: Interrelation of the federation with the
Paraguayan Olympic Committee, the International Tennis Objective:
Federation, and the Secretariat of Sports.
Our objective within this strategy has been to raise the level
Objective: of our coaches, from the initiation and development stage,
through the intermediate level and up to high performance.
Promote active communication between the Paraguayan
Olympic Committee COP, the International Tennis Federation Strategic actions:
(ITF), and the National Sports Secretariat (SND), to be fully
interrelated to take advantage of the various programmes. • The incorporation of teachers and/or students of
physical education in the various training events has
Strategic actions: been an extremely important step forward in increasing
the number of trainers at the initial or developmental
• Relationship and management with the Olympic level and for the various projects in schools.
Committee to be able to take advantage of and carry out
at least 2 to 3 Olympic Solidarity programmes every year. • Ensure training work with the Olympic Committee's
interdisciplinary team in the area of applied sciences
• Early communication and co-ordination with the ITF to and sports methodology so that coaches have a general
set up a calendar for the year with all programmes and vision in their insertion into high performance.
projects and the management of the same with SO.
• Retain or re-incorporate former players in tennis who
• Early application to the Olympic Committee for the can add value.
year's programmes ahead of other sports.
• Support from the Secretary of Sports in the adaptation CONCLUSIONS
and improvement of the facilities for greater comfort to
The Olympic Solidarity programmes are an important
be able to carry out more projects at the headquarters of
factor in helping NTFs benefit from assistance that will help
the federation.
them improve their services and products. This programme
provides increased opportunities for the development of
sport in countries that may lack funding and resources. It also
Strategy No. 2: Professionalisation of the federation supports training, development, and technical assistance in
Olympic sport disciplines such as tennis for athletes, coaches
Objective:
and support staff from these nations, in order to achieve
Recruitment of trained technical staff for the federation, better results at the Olympic Games.
capable of carrying out and managing various programmes,
thus achieving the professionalisation of the sport.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 31

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

The sports development of an NTF supported and funded Chappelet, J. L., & Bayle, E. (2005). Strategic and performance management of
Olympic sport organisations. Human Kinetics.
by Olympic Solidarity can improve the performance of the Ferrand, A., & McCarthy, S. (2008). Marketing the sports organisation: Building
players, the structures of the NFs and lead to increased networks and relationships. London:Routledge.
organisational performance at all levels. Such programmes Guzel, P., & Ozbey, S. (2013). Promotion of Olympic values based on Olympic
can also serve to foster a more professional and effective Solidarity programs. International Journal of Academic Research, 5(3).
Henry, I., & Al-Tauqi, M. (2008). The development of Olympic solidarity: West
management and administration of NTFs. We hope that this and non-west (core and periphery) relations in the Olympic world. The
article will be a practical and useful contribution for NTFs International Journal of the History of Sport, 25(3), 355-369.
wishing to access Olympic Solidarity support. We believe it Henry, I., & Cuschieri, M. T. (2014). Olympic engagement and the use of
Olympic Solidarity programmes by Gulf Cooperation Council states. The
is vital that NTFs become more proactive and work together International Journal of the History of Sport, 31(14), 1707-1723.
with their NOCs to benefit from such programmes. ITF (2023). Estatutos de la ITF. Disponible en: https://www.itftennis.com/
en/about-us/governance/rules-and-regulations/?type=constitution
Consultado el 20 de junio.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING ITF Academy (2023). ITF Academy. Disponible en: www.itf.academy-com.
Accedido: 16 junio.
The author declares that she has no conflict of interest and Martínez-Gallego, R., Jones, T., & Crespo, M. (2022). Impact of the ITF Tennis
Play and Stay campaign on 10-and-under tennis: The views of top National
has not received any funding for this article.
Federation experts. ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review, 30(86), 37-41.
Parry, J. (2003). Olympic education in practice. Centre d’Estudis Olímpics.
Robinson, L., & Minikin, B. (2011). Developing strategic capacity in Olympic
RERERENCES sport organisations. Sport, Business and Management: An International
Journal, 1(3), 219-233.
Brouwers, J., Sotiriadou, P., & De Bosscher, V. (2015). An examination of the Solidaridad Olímpica (2023). Programmes. Disponible en: https://olympics.
stakeholders and elite athlete development pathways in tennis. European com/ioc/olympic-solidarity/programmes. Accedido: 15 junio.
Sport Management Quarterly, 15(4), 454-477.
Camy, J., & Robinson, L. (Eds.). (2007). Managing Olympic sport organizations
(Vol. 6). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Comité Olímpico Internacional. (COI) (2023). Solidaridad Olímpica. Disponible
en: https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-solidarity. Accedido: 15 junio.

Copyright © 2023 Larissa Schaerer

This text is under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license

You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and Adapt the content - remix,
transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You
may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 32

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 33-36
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.465

The challenge of managing player development in

a VUCA environment
Gaston Brum & Fernando Vilches
Argentine Tennis Association, Argentina.

Key words: Management,

ABSTRACT leadership, context, performance,
participation.
This article attempts to summarise the key factors in managing player development in
Received: 27 June 2023
VUCA environments from the perspective of a sports federation. This complex process,
which requires special attention and proper planning at each of its stages, must be Accepted: 10 July 2023
supported by the foundations of proper management. The article summarises some of Corresponding author: Fernando
the contents related to the strategic pillar "towards sporting excellence" of the Argentine Vilches. Email: fervilches@hotmail.
Tennis Association. com

INTRODUCTION
Managing is a constant challenge and creativity becomes
the most genuine and effective tool we have. The VUCA and
BANI environments that sports organisations will encounter
on a daily basis require not only rapid adaptation, but also the
personalisation of planning in order to maximise the potential
of our athletes.

Opportunities are to be found in the same place as difficulties.

To find them, we must first understand our environment.

Argentine Analysis: "The VUCA environment".

By environment we understand all those factors that
condition the organisation's performance. A distinction can specifically in those that directly involve the disposal of
be made between the macro-environment, made up of a set foreign currency. Therefore, the development of tenants
of global factors such as policies, regulations, the economic is directly affected by changes in costs, with no clear
situation or the exchange rate, and the micro-environment, pattern of behaviour.
which is made up of those factors that directly influence the
organisation, such as competition, customers, and suppliers. • Uncertainty: changes in sport consumption habits and
specifically in tennis are difficult to predict. In Argentina,
The great economic crisis of 2007 prompted the organisational the discipline was the first to return to sport and that
world to start using a term that originated at the US War brought with it a boom in practice at all ages.
College to illustrate the context of the world after the fall of
the Berlin Wall. • Complexity: tennis development has many
interconnected parts, many influencing factors, and
The term VUCA, whose acronym translates as Volatility, variables. At the same time, the development of
Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Understanding this competitions on national territory does not ensure that
new world is not a problem, but VUCA environments are locals benefit from them.
seen as an opportunity to develop strategies that can cope
• Ambiguity: Ambiguity scenarios are generally referred to
with stressful situations and turn them into assets for sports
when an organisation tries to enter an immature market
organisations.
or a mature market with a new product. In our case, the
Highlighting the most important points of the VUCA stakeholders' response to the change of a competitive
environment in Argentina, we can mention: matrix was totally uncertain.

• Volatility: the constant and unpredictable changes in the

exchange rate make budgeting difficult in all areas, but

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 33

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

THE SPORTS ECOSYSTEM IN ARGENTINA throughout his or her career. We understand development as
a long-term period in which short-term shortcuts in a tennis
In recent decades, sport in Argentina has been expressed as
player's preparation should be avoided. Competitions cannot
a phenomenon generated by the community itself, expressing
be left out of this concept, so it is key to define the quantity
the need for social integration, belonging to a group and
and quality of competitions at each stage of an athlete's
recognition of a cultural identity. This socio-cultural trait has
development.
meant that the desire to excel on the international stage has
surpassed the barriers of football and has imbued with this Understanding competition as part of a tennis player's
impetus countless other disciplines that have traditionally development will enable talented young players to reach their
been neglected in Argentina in particular, and in the potential in time and ensure their long-term participation
continent in general. We could mention recognised sporting in the sport. In other words, it means ensuring that limited
achievements in basketball, rugby, hockey, handball, judo, resources are used efficiently.
swimming, cycling, volleyball, and tennis among many others.
As Singer and Janelle (1999) justify, "in sport, competition
In this ecosystem there are clubs with adequate infrastructure serves as a quantitative mechanism for recognising
for development, coaches with great knowledge and excellence".
international experience, quantity, and quality of athletes in
various regions of the country, sponsors, private companies According to Bloom's studies (1985), competition evolves
and government agencies involved in sports development. along the developmental stages. In the first stage, it is of little
importance, and should primarily seek to provide positive
This sporting ecosystem in our country generates a experiences for young athletes, with the fun factor taking
favourable environment and a huge opportunity for sporting precedence over the performance factor. During the period
development. One of our great challenges is to enhance this of specialisation, competition, as well as becoming more
favourable environment to develop more quantity and quality important and more performance-oriented, becomes a key
of players in our country. factor as an element of their training.

Finding opportunities in challenges Create competitive environments conducive to transition

Peter Drucker (1984) argued that in times of difficulty it is not The transition stage from junior to professional is one of
the problems but the opportunities that are most important. the most important stages of athlete development as it will
One of the enormous challenges in the development of tennis determine the athlete's future. When an athlete develops or
players is to rethink development strategies because of the accesses the resources required to cope with the barriers and
high costs of a sporting career. can cope with the demands of change, it is called a successful
transition. Conversely, a critical transition occurs when the
As we have defined, Argentina is in a moment of profound athlete is not able to cope with the demands and barriers that
uncertainty, which the AAT has taken advantage of to the situation presents. There are several reasons for a critical
implement a change in the competitive matrix. We are transition, for example: lack of resources and/or recurring
convinced that thinking about a new culture and competitions barriers, inability to analyse a situation correctly and make
that adapt to the needs and possibilities of the players in the a good decision based on the analysis, and low awareness of
region also means working on the development of players. the demands in the ongoing transition (Stambulova, 2003;
Stambulova & Alfermann, 2009).
TOWARDS SPORTING EXCELLENCE One of our objectives is to create competitive environments
One of the five strategic pillars of the Argentine Tennis that are conducive to a better transition.
Association is called "Towards Sporting Excellence" and
Our competition formats in the transition to professionalism
aims to achieve a world-class sporting system, with a holistic
seek to develop Argentine players towards excellence,
approach, that maximises the potential of tennis players.
increasing their chances of competing in the country and the
To achieve this goal, we have 4 plans in place: world. Thus, the team of professionals works to achieve the
participation of our athletes in a variety of events that give
money and points for various rankings, with a calendar that
1. The tennis pathway: Understanding and reformulating includes all regions of the country, encourages professional
the stages of development and redesigning the categories competition, and allows the addition of points of our players
accordingly. for the international ranking.
How do we understand development and how does
competition impact on each stage? 2. Laying the foundations: National Competence System

Creating environments conducive to transition Competition Initiation Events

Schonborn (2001) argues the importance of long-term The initial stages present a simple competitive pathway
development to produce elite athletes. Several scientific for the children. This model starts with tennis festivals that
studies have concluded that for an athlete to reach the elite allow their first experiences in play-oriented participatory
level, he or she must train for eight to twelve years (Bloom, events with cooperative games and skill challenges, and then
1985; Ericsson et al., 1993; Ericsson and Charness, 1994) a gradually introduces oppositional formats in a constructive
specific and well organised training, competition and recovery way (Figure 1).
regime will ensure a better development of the athlete

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 34

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Figure 1. AAT competition initiation events.

The path of competition in the Juniors stages: 3. Competition at home. Changing the competitive matrix and
development strategy.
The categories defined for the competitions of the Circuito
Argentino for minors are the following: Direct benefits of national competences

• Category U18 (Youth) In recent years the economic situation in Argentina and in
many South American countries has had a significant impact
• U16 (Cadets) U14 (Juniors) on the possibilities for players to participate in competitions
• U12 (Infants) outside the country. The high costs of travel, accommodation,
meals and training expenses have made the planning of
• U10 (Pre-Infants U10) competitions more and more exhaustive. As a solution
• U8 (Pre-Infants U8) to these problems, we have designed a new competition
structure that increases the number of tournaments from
The tournaments will be classified into different types: junior to professional in the country. This strategy not only
• International has a positive influence on the economy of the players, but
also indirectly favours their development. Among the most
• Nationals representative examples we can mention:
• Regional
• Players can continue to train in their academies together
• Open with their entire staff.
National competence system (Figure 2) • Affective and emotional containment by being close to
their loved ones.
We live in an era of constant social, economic, and personal
change in which sport cannot remain on the side-lines. The • Improvements in rest, health, and nutrition.
design of the competition structure must consider all these • Improvement in performance due to the addition of
factors and address the need for tennis to be a sport for life, matches with international exposure.
without losing sight of the vision of the organisation: one
Argentinean, one tennis player. • Access the possibility of an invitation to major
tournaments.
• Obtaining ranking points without high financial cost.

4. Enhancing the ecosystem:

The ecosystem is like a chain made up of different links, each
of which has a fundamental role in the development of the
player. Private and public sports institutions are going through
a profound change. Professionalising activities is key in this
new era where the demands of the sporting environment,
the institutions, and the athletes themselves require new
strategies. Teamwork and leadership, among others, are key
to carry out this evolution. In this context, the need to improve
the professionalisation and training of people working in
Figure 2. AAT National Competence System..

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 35

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

sports development, who have the challenge of absorbing the REFERENCES

experience of previous management to generate new ideas
and/or improvements in the models of sports institutions, is Alabarces, P. (2000). Los estudios sobre deporte y sociedad: objetos, miradas,
increasingly evident. agendas. P. Alabarces (Comp.), Peligro de gol. Estudios sobre deporte y
sociedad en América Latina, 11-30.
Alvariño, P., Altur, J.F. y Crespo, M. (2015). Tenisval: Filosofía, sistemas de
The production of quality international events in Argentina entrenamiento y ejercicios. Valencia. España.
generates a virtuous circle. Tennis is once again seen as an Bloom, B.S. (1985). Developing talent in young people. New-York: Ballantine.
industry that generates numerous jobs, the possibility of full- Crespo, M., Granitto, G., Miley, D. (2002). Trabajando con jóvenes tenistas. ITF
time dedication not only for the players, the improvement Ltd. Londres.
Dent, P. (1994). Long-term planning for tennis players - A balanced and
of local infrastructure and the involvement of public-private progressive programme.
investments that see the direct fruits of their disbursements Drucker, P. F. (1984). Converting social problems into business opportunities:
in crowded stands, successful television broadcasts and The new meaning of corporate social responsibility. California Management
Review (pre-1986), 26(000002), 53. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165066
young players climbing the international rankings. Ericsson, K. A., & Charness, N. (1994). Expert performance: Its structure
and acquisition. American Psychologist, 49(8), 725. https://doi.
org/10.1037/0003-066X.49.8.725
CONCLUSIONS Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate
practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review,
Leadership from the leadership and professional teams at this 100(3), 363. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363
time must be able to adapt to changes and guide towards the Reid, M., Quinn, A., Crespo, M. (2003). Fuerza y condición física para el tenis.
ITF Ltd. Londres.
detection of opportunities. It is our job not to remain in the Schönborn, R. (2001). The present and the future of top tennis. In 12th ITF
difficulties presented by the environment and to be able to Worldwide Coaches Workshop, Bangkok.
generate a space in which athletes can reach their maximum Singer, R.N. y Janelle, C.M. (1999). Determining sport expertise: From Genes to
potential. Supremes. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 30, p. 117-150.
Stambulova, N. (2003). Symptoms of a crisis-transition: A grounded theory
study. (N. Hassmen, Ed.) Svensk Idrottspykologisk Förening Yearbook, 97-
The correct analysis of the environment together with 109.
innovative ideas will be the keys to success in the current Stambulova, N. B., & Alfermann, D. (2009). Putting culture into context:
global scenario, understanding success as the achievement of Cultural and cross‐cultural perspectives in career development and
transition research and practice. International Journal of Sport and
the National Federation's objectives. Exercise Psychology, 7(3), 292-308. https://doi.org/10.1080/161219
7X.2009.9671911
The key is not to copy formulas, but to understand what the
right strategy is to develop our players based on 1) the macro-
environment, 2) the micro-environment and 3) our resources.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and
have not received any funding for the study.

Copyright © 2023 Gaston Brum & Fernando Vilches

This text is under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license

You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and Adapt the content - remix,
transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You
may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 36

 International Tennis Federation
www.itfcoachingreview.com
COACHING & SPORT August 2023. 30th Year. Issue 90. 37-40
ISSN 2225-4757
SCIENCE REVIEW https://doi.org/10.52383/itfcoaching.v31i90.492

Gender equality strategies at national

association level. Examples of best practices in
Central and South America
Cecilia Ancalmo1, Fabiola Zuluaga2, Macarena Miranda3, Patricia Castro4 &
Darlene Kahn5
1
Tennis Development, Development Department, International Tennis Federation, London, UK. 2Colombia. 3Chile.
4
Costa Rica. 5Panama

Key words: Gender, equality,

advantage all, programmes.
ABSTRACT
Received: 1 June 2023
Gender equality is a crucial issue that transcends the boundaries of tennis and sport
and affects society as a whole. Historically, tennis has been a pioneering sport when it Accepted: 10 June 2023
comes to making clear and defending the rights of women in all walks of life. Regarding Corresponding author: Cecilia
professional tennis, tennis has had great representatives in this field such as Billie Jean Ancalmo. Email: cecilia.Ancalmo@
King who has been a pioneer in achieving gender equality in professional tennis. The itftennis.com
ITF, for its part, launched the Advantage All campaign to generate a movement that
would help visualize the existing situation in our sport. The objective of this article
is to present the visions that some women related to tennis in different countries of
Central and South America have about the different initiatives carried out. In addition,
experiences, opinions, and perceptions regarding the different programs are shared.
We hope this collaboration will be useful for all those interested in contributing to
achieving gender equality in tennis.

INTRODUCTION

Female tennis participation and competition scenario

Female tennis worldwide has a participation challenge, with
noticeable gender disparity at competitive and older age
groups despite a fairly even split amongst the much younger
age groups. The data obtained in different studies suggest
that there are challenges in retaining female players in the
sport, indicating a need for greater measures to understand
and address the underlying causes of this scenario. Gender
disparity is a significant issue in competitive tennis, particularly
at older age groups, despite a more balanced participation
among younger players (Ward & Buscome, 2019). Stereotype
threat, which refers to the psychological effect of negative
stereotypes, may contribute to the underperformance and
demotivation of girls in tennis. However, research has shown younger groups on adjacent courts to older ones can provide
that stereotype threat can have both positive and negative role models for younger girls to imitate (Regan, 2019). It is
effects on performance. Efforts to understand and address also beneficial to encourage verbal fluency in tactics and
the underlying causes of gender inequality in tennis are tennis terminology, and using peer learning by pairing more
necessary. experienced players with less experienced ones can help build
From a pure coaching perspective, one of the key goals is confidence and improve skills.
to engage more girls in tennis. To do this, it is important to In this context, motivation is a crucial factor and girls'
create an environment that promotes verbal communication motivation to play tennis can be influenced by various factors.
and peer learning. Furthermore, encouraging girls to work One major factor is the desire for success and the ratio of
on problems together in pairs or groups can also enhance victories to defeats (Krolak, 2013). Additionally, girls may be
their problem-solving abilities. Additionally, scheduling

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 37

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

motivated by the enjoyment of the game and the opportunity outside looks simple, but living it is completely different to
for progress and performance (Bykanova-Yudanov, 2018). It what you have in mind.
is important for coaches to understand the social factors and
the individual needs of female tennis players to support their Public policies in Colombia demand gender equity. We must
development and maximize their potential (Mouelhi-Ghizani have 30% of women in management positions, captainships
et al., 2023). and in all the events that take place in the country. Today I am
the only woman in the technical commission of the Colombian
Tennis Federation (FCT); and we are 5 women leading groups
ITF RESEARCH such as the BJK Cup, Olympic cycle teams and women's teams
participating in the South Americans.
The ITF's Advantage All strategy, to ensure equal opportunities
for women and men in tennis on and off the court, works to With the support of the ITF and the commitment of the FCT,
generate action to bring about the necessary changes that will leagues and clubs, the participation of female coaches in
lead to parity. In the field of women coaches, data available training and refresher courses is increasing. Currently, we
in the ITF Global Tennis Report 2021 indicates that 22% of have approximately 100 female coaches trained with ITF level
coaches worldwide are women, a far cry from the 50% parity 1 (+50), level 2 (35) and level 3 (12) courses, in addition to
sought. To bring about this change, in the coaching area the those who continue in the process, thanks to the work of the
ITF is working on the ITF Female Coaches Network project. FCT Training Directorate. Recently the first Play Tennis tutor
At the end of 2022 we gathered and analysed figures that led course was held with 9 Colombian coaches.
us to set goals for 2023 (ITF, 2021).
We have a Colombia team that brings together 87 youth
We found that the participation of female coaches in Play players from the country, of which 43 are women, receiving
Tennis certification courses or higher that were supported support from the Ministry of Sport for their participation both
with ITF funds had no more than 30% female participation nationally and internationally.
and we set a target that by 2023 female participation should
be no less than 30%. The effort to hold professional tournaments is an important
boost for the development of tennis in Colombia. For several
On the participation of female coaches in the role of captains years now, the number of women's tournaments held in the
of the U12, U14 and U16 national teams, we found that their country has increased, giving our players the opportunity to
participation ranged from 30% in the younger age groups to compete at home, saving money, optimising time, and allowing
17% in the older age groups. We set a target for 2023 that them to spend more time with their work team.
30% of the captains in these teams will be women. This goal
has been accompanied by the promotion of CBI level 1 and Everything starts from the seedlings. We also have children's
CAP level 2 certification courses for female coaches to have festivals where the women's categories are respected, even if
certified professionals in the roles of captains of national there is very little participation or enrolment. The important
youth and senior teams. thing is to give them the opportunity to play and enjoy tennis,
so if there are very few participants, we organise an exchange
Two other objectives have been to increase the participation with the boys, ensuring competition and opportunities for
of women in the ITF World Coaches Conference, both as exposure in these initial stages, which are fundamental for
participants and speakers. By 2023 we aim to have between personal and sporting growth and development.
15-20% of participants and 33% of speakers.

Actions to improve in these areas have the important CHILE (Macarena Miranda)
participation of National Federations. In this article we want
Macarena is a former professional player and currently an
to share the contributions of the Federations of Colombia,
organiser of women's professional tournaments in Chile.
Chile, Costa Rica, and Panama, who with clear purpose and
objectives are carrying out actions to achieve parity in the There are few episodes in my life that can be told without
participation of women and men in all areas of tennis in their mentioning tennis. I played tennis as a junior and professional,
countries. and I was also captain and player for Chile in the now defunct
Fed Cup, now known as the Billie Jean King Cup, even
COLOMBIA (Fabiola Zuluaga) organising the event in 2020, being the first woman to do so
in my country.
Fabiola is a former professional tennis player who reached
#16 in the WTA rankings. She is currently a Level 3 certified Prior to that I was director of ITF women's tournaments since
coach. 2008 and currently I have been directing the WTA tournament
in Chile for the last two years. All that experience has allowed
In Colombia we have several strategies and programmes me to build an analysis that shows an advance compared to
that are being developed so that women are increasingly decades ago, this is undeniable if you contrast it with the time
involved and considered in tennis. The process is complete: when I was playing. However, there is still a lot to be done, and
from training, through the management at different levels of the federations of each country in South America must take a
athletes and the accompaniment of them, including in their leading role in the pending issues.
professional stage. Personally, I have had the opportunity to
participate and contribute to all of them. As a first task, development programmes should be
implemented for our players under 10 years of age. Tennis
It has been a great success that we ex-players have stayed should not compete with tennis, but with other disciplines
in the country and made a career as coaches. Passing on that are ahead of us in this aspect and therefore have many
the experiences and knowledge gained over the years as facilities in this first stage, especially in the school stage. We
professionals is fundamental for sportswomen who are must get closer to the schools.
thinking about or trying to enter this world, which from the

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 38

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

It is also key to be able to generate quality competencies at The database will include several details, including the level of
national and regional level. We need to open up the channels of play, whether she is a coach, social, competitive or recreational
communication between the different regional associations. player, where she plays (training or lesson schedule) or used
Interestingly, between the effects of the health crisis, during to play (reasons why she no longer plays), whether she has
and after the pandemic, there was a fluid communication at children, whether they play tennis, what her profession is
regional level that I am very happy to see is still going on today. and whether she is practising it (work schedule) and other
questions that will help us build the work plan for the creation
The result of this are the transition tournaments between of programmes for the reincorporation and motivation of the
juniors and professionals, competitions that, for me, are key. female population in tennis.
In my opinion, it is very important to be in tune with each
other to have a good calendar. Everything that has to do with The plan is to study this data and thus develop strategies
the exchange of wild cards, generating a route according to for the development of programmes that are adapted to the
the specific purposes of each team, I think it is essential, but needs and availability of the players.
without neglecting the macro, the development of women's
tennis on the continent. This was done very little and today For example, the women interviewed indicate that they are
we can say the opposite. In my country, the Chilean Tennis interested in teaching tennis, but for family or professional
Federation, the Ministry of Sport, and the National Institute reasons they cannot be trained for 4 consecutive days in
of Sport (IND) have been very important for this. the Play Tennis methodology, so different options will be
sought, such as taking the course at different times, or more
I cannot fail to mention the South American Tennis accessible blocks of time.
Confederation, COSAT, their role in incorporating tennis
players in their work commissions I think is a wise decision. We also aim to identify women interested in collaborating
The work of the ITF and its president David Haggerty through with the process from other areas, such as professionals in
the Advantage All Programme is commendable. We can all psychology, nutrition, physiotherapy and other professions
contribute with what was good in our time and what was related to sport, who want to join the teaching project, but
missing to achieve a circuit that we longed for at the time. I at the specific level of tutors and adapt their speciality to the
insist. What we see now is not enough, but it is close to what teaching of existing or new tennis facilitators.
we should aspire to. We are on the right track.
At the competition level, knowing the reasons why they do
not participate in national tournaments is the only way to see
COSTA RICA (Patricia Castro) options for changes or improvements that will motivate them
Patricia Castro is the Manager of the Costa Rican Tennis again or keep them in practice.
Federation. This section will present the project for the study This survey will be carried out digitally and in person, in order
and growth of women tennis players in Costa Rica. to obtain as many responses as possible. Due to resource
The Costa Rican Tennis Federation (FCT) has had a Board limitations, the support of student interns will be sought for
of Directors that has complied with the principle of gender the application and tabulation of the data, which will then be
parity for more than 5 terms, 100% of the administrative staff analysed internally at the FCT by the different commissions
are women and it is always the first option that the national and by the Board of Directors as such.
women's teams are accompanied by a female captain or coach. It is expected that the process of creating the database and
However, at a general level, there is no parity since there is a drafting development strategies will be completed by the end
very significant difference in the number of tennis facilitators, of 2023 and implementation can start in 2024.
which is maintained and is notorious in each course or training
that is given, the female participation rate is 1 woman for PANAMA (Darlene Kahn)
every 10 men.
Darlene Kahn is a former professional player, a professional
Also, in the game as such, at a competitive, social or executive, and a CAP level 2 coach. In this section she presents
recreational level, just by analysing the national rankings in all in the following lines the Panama Tennis Federation's proposal
categories of the National Tournament Circuit, the disparity to grow women's participation in tennis.
in participation and the desertion of women as they move up
Over the years, we have seen that there is less participation
the playing level is tangible.
of girls in national and international tournaments. To remedy
For this reason, the FCT has among its projects, to increase this situation, the Panamanian Tennis Federation (FPT) has
the participation of women in tennis in all areas, not only at come up with some strategies, which are described below.
the level of coaches.
The FPT has set a goal of increasing the number of women
The starting point is to know what we have, to know how coaches and getting them ITF certified. On a personal level,
many women play tennis, since the country's social clubs, I have had the opportunity to obtain ITF Level 1 and Level 2
academies, cantonal committees, schools and colleges certifications and there is a lot of interest in Panama, mostly
have women's leagues or teams. Therefore, there is a large from female players, who want to become coaches and get
population of women playing tennis that is outside the certified. Recently, five Panamanian coaches obtained the
database, and that is the information we are going to collect. Level 2 CAP in a course held in Panama. This shows the
We are also interested in having data on those who once potential we have and the professional quality of our coaches.
played and then quit, and knowing this will feed into the This programme will continue to be encouraged, as the goal
strategies to be implemented, which will also be of great help is to have 25% of coaches certified nationally by 2024. This
in improving the current processes. initiative includes the training of coaches in all provinces,
targeting former players, players, physical education

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 39

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

teachers, among others, who are interested in this sport and CONCLUSION
its teaching. The objective is to form a community of coaches
We hope that what has been shared by experts from the
and together, improve the quality of teaching throughout
Colombian, Chilean, Costa Rican and Panamanian Tennis
Panama and contribute to the development of tennis.
Federations in this article will serve as inspiration and
After being trained, very wisely, the Panamanian Tennis guidance for other National Federations who are developing
Federation asked me to be the Captain of the U14 Girls their "Advantage All" strategies to achieve equal participation
National Team that would participate in the World Junior of women and men in tennis.
Tennis Competition in the Dominican Republic, Santo
Domingo. We followed 2 weeks of arduous training, prior to
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND FUNDING
the competition, which was enough to bring a very motivated
team to the competition. The team consisted of three young The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of
girls, who despite being in their first year in this category, we interest and that they did not receive any funding to conduct
managed to qualify for the quarter finals. This was a great the research.
achievement for Panama and a very positive experience for
the girls, as this tournament marked the beginning of a new
stage. It is achieved, that parents have more confidence REFERENCES
for the girls to travel to tournaments, it is achieved, a team Bykanova-Yudanov, N. (2018). Motivation in competitive tennis: Is it different
integration, and it is achieved, to have a captain that increases for girls and boys. ITF Coaching and Sport Science Review, 76(26), 20-22.
ITF (2021). ITF Global Tennis Report. London: ITF Ltd. Available at: http://itf.
the confidence and motivation of the players. From now uberflip.com/i/1401406-itf-global-tennis-report-2021/0?
on, we hope to have a greater representation of girls in the Krolak, A. (2013). The development of top women tennis players (1968 – 2012)
tournaments to gain international experience and raise the and the importance of well-planned coaching. ITF Coaching and Sport
Science Review, 61 (21), 14-18.
competitive level of Panama. Mouelhi-Guizani, S., Guinoubi, S., Chtara, M., & Crespo, M. (2023). Relationships
between flow state and motivation in junior elite tennis players:
In conclusion, by encouraging the participation of women in Differences by gender. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching,
the formation, representation, and development of tennis in 18(2), 490-499.
Panama, we join forces and close the gap that has been open Regan, L. (2019). The roles of group learning, language and their application to
junior tennis. ITF Coaching and Sport Science Review, 47 (16), 17-18.
for many years, in which the competitive level of girls was Ward, J., & Buscombe, R. M. (2019). Stereotype threat and performance on
very low, as there was little representation in international sport specific motor tests. ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review, 27(77),
tournaments. With these actions and with the right guidance 35-38.
and leadership in the junior and Billie Jean King Cup teams,
we will see favourable changes for Panama in the very near
future.

Copyright © 2023 Cecilia Ancalmo, Fabiola Zuluaga, Macarena Miranda, Patricia Castro & Darlene Kahn

This text is under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license

You are free to Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format – and Adapt the content - remix,
transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially under the following terms:
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You
may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
CC BY 4.0 license terms summary. CC BY 4.0 license terms

RECOMMENDED ITF TENNIS ACADEMY CONTENT (CLICK BELOW)

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 40

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Recommended e-books
ITF EBOOKS
If you previously used the ITF eBook (mobile) App, please visit the app for further details on how to move content to
the new eBook platform within the ITF Academy. The deadline to action this is 15 November 2023.

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 41

Coaching & Sport Science Review International Tennis Federation

Recommended web links

ITF Coaching: ITF Development:

ITF Academy: WTN:

ITF Tennis Play and Stay: ITIA:

ATP: WTA:

August 2023, 30th Year, Issue 90 42