The All England Lawn Tennis Club have celebrated 25 years of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI), its flagship community tennis programme that has introduced almost 300,000 children across the London boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth to tennis.
The event took place at Sacred Heart RC Primary School, Battersea, a participating school in the WJTI for the last 25 years.
The day began with an assembly led by the All England Club’s Learning team, which introduced the children to the history and traditions of Wimbledon, before introducing special guest, seven-time Grand Slam champion Jamie Murray OBE, who joined WJTI coaches in sessions of movement-based tennis activities designed to develop early physical skills like balance, coordination and agility, and to ultimately inspire the next generation of British tennis players.
Jamie Murray OBE said: “Seeing so many young people getting stuck into tennis through the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative is brilliant. When you are that age, it is all about having fun, trying something new and building confidence, and programmes like this give kids a great start. I was lucky to grow up around the sport, so to see opportunities like this being offered more widely is really important. 25 years on, it is clear just how much of a difference it’s making in local communities.”
Since 2001, the WJTI has provided free tennis coaching to pupils aged from nursery upwards by visiting around 50 state primary schools every year for up to six-week periods, using the sport as a tool to build confidence, teamwork and a lifelong love of physical activity.
Children who demonstrate aptitude are invited to join the WJTI’s year-round programme based at the All England Club’s Community Tennis Centre in Raynes Park and receive free tennis coaching up to the age of 18. Around 350 children attend free weekly coaching and many children invited to join at primary school have gone on to become tennis coaches and are now part of the WJTI coaching team, including Darren Stanford, one of the coaches who led the session today.
Darren Stanford, WJTI coach, said: “The 11-year-old me who saw those All England Club coaches come into my school would never believe that I’m now the one going into schools and delivering tennis sessions. I feel so fortunate to have a career coaching a sport I love and that through the WJTI, I get to give as many local children as possible the opportunity to play and get involved in tennis.”
As well as engaging children, the coaches also actively encourage teachers and support staff to get involved and leave kit bags with the schools. Teachers are shown as part of the initiative how to deliver the sport in schools and tailor session to their pupils’ needs, allowing for the long-term development of tennis within Merton and Wandsworth.
Anne-Marie Ormonde, Physical Education Teacher at Sacred Heart, said: “It is wonderful to see how far this programme has come, having been a part of the Wandsworth Sports Development Team when it was first established and coordinating the link with the schools in the borough. Over the years, I have seen countless children benefit from the programme and progress to playing tennis at a high level. More than 50 children from Sacred Heart have gone on to join the WJTI programme in Raynes Park, continuing their tennis journey well into their teenage years, with some of them here celebrating with us today. The coaches’ enthusiasm, professionalism and reliability have always been exemplary, which is invaluable when working with external organisations in a school setting, and for that I am truly grateful. It has been an absolute privilege to witness the programme’s development over the past 25 years, and I hope it continues to inspire young people for many years to come.”
The WJTI is funded by the Wimbledon Foundation, the official charity of the All England Club and The Championships. The Foundation’s focus is on creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds, and it distributes more than £4 million each year to charities in local communities, across the UK and internationally.
Paige Murphy, Head of the Wimbledon Foundation, commented: “To celebrate 25 years of our landmark Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative is a milestone we are thrilled to reach. Providing children with the opportunity to engage in tennis and discover all the benefits that taking part in sport brings is something we are very proud to continue.”
2026 also marks the 25th anniversary of Wimbledon’s Learning programme. The award-winning programme has created meaningful experiences for learners of all ages over the past quarter century and has connected with more than 125,000 people.
