Schools score racquets in tennis initiative

PINT-SIZED tennis fans from across the Bellarine are receiving brand new racquets thanks to the ANZ bank.

More than 630 tennis racquets will be given to eight schools, including Leopold Primary School (170), Ocean Grove Primary School (80) and Surfside Primary School (69).

ANZ’s ongoing support of the initiative has already seen 80,000 racquets delivered since January 2015, with a further 30,000 to be delivered in 2018, bringing the total to 110,000 racquets.

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots and Tennis Australia’s School Partnership Program aim to encourage more children to pick up a racquet and learn tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum.

Twenty-two time Grand Slam doubles champion Todd Woodbridge is proud of the initiative’s success to date.

“The ANZ racquet initiative is a fantastic way to introduce and inspire more kids to play tennis,” Woodbridge said.

“ANZ has helped us introduce tennis to kids in schools by delivering 110,000 racquets across the country which is an amazing achievement.

“For them to take a racquet home means that tennis is always within their reach and helps kids to develop healthy habits that keep them fit and active.”

Nationwide, more than 384,584 children played ANZ Tennis Hot Shots in 2016/17, making the program one of Australia’s most popular sport participation programs.

There are more than 2,650 schools Australia wide who participate in the program. For more information on ANZ Tennis Hot Shots, visit hotshots.tennis.com.au.