Over six action-packed days from October 13 to 18, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Tennis Association successfully completed a landmark nationwide tennis development clinic, delivered in close partnership with three internationally experienced Canadian tennis professionals: Lionel Eli, Sasha Gomelyuk, and Arthur Searles. The multi-stakeholder programme was intentionally designed to cater to every demographic across the local tennis ecosystem, spanning absolute beginners, school children, competitive junior athletes, coaches, parents, and adult recreational players. For elite young talent across the U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18 age categories, the visiting pro team delivered specialized high-performance training modules that brought world-class coaching methodologies directly to SVG’s shores. These sessions focused on refining core technical strokes, optimizing on-court movement and fitness, building tactical decision-making skills, and sharpening competitive match readiness for local players who rarely get direct access to international standard instruction. Beyond elite player development, the clinic prioritized grassroots outreach as a core pillar, integrating on-court tennis sessions into the regular curriculum at two local educational institutions: Calliaqua Anglican School and Fairhall Government School, as part of the SVG Tennis Association’s long-running schools tennis engagement initiative. In a groundbreaking, widely celebrated component of the programme, facilitators hosted a dedicated, adaptive tennis session tailored specifically for students with special educational needs, marking a major step forward for the association’s mission to dismantle barriers and make tennis an inclusive, accessible activity for every young person across the island nation. Recognizing that parental support is a critical, often overlooked, factor in nurturing young athletic talent, the clinic also structured dedicated closed-door sessions for caregivers of junior players. These meetings covered structured player development pathways, best practices for constructive parental support throughout a young athlete’s competitive journey, and upcoming growth opportunities for SVG’s local junior tennis circuit. Feedback from attending parents has been uniformly enthusiastic, with many praising the transparent, collaborative tone of the discussions and the exceptional quality of coaching delivered across the full programme. Adult recreational players were not excluded from the week’s activities either, with dedicated skill-building sessions scheduled to cater to participants of all skill levels, reinforcing the association’s long-term strategic goal of growing tennis participation across every age bracket and ability level. SVG Tennis Association President Preye Griffith emphasized the historic significance of the initiative, stating, “This programme has been a milestone for tennis development in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. To have three international professionals invest six days in our players, our schools, and our tennis community is something we do not take for granted. The response from parents, players, and schools has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are committed to building on this momentum.” In addition to donating their extensive time and specialized coaching expertise, the Canadian pro team also contributed vital new tennis equipment to the local tennis community, including a full set of replacement tennis nets to replace the SVG Tennis Association’s existing worn-out units that were no longer fit for competitive use. Two official photo records from the event capture Grade 1 students at Calliaqua Anglican School participating in introductory on-court activities, and coach Arthur Searles hand-feeding a tennis ball to a secondary-level special education student from Fairhall Government School during the adaptive session. Local news outlet iWitness News has invited readers to subscribe to its official WhatsApp channel for ongoing updates on local sports and community events.
SVG Tennis holds dev’t clinic with int’l professionals
