Tennis coach Will Bound with some of the children from the Bournemouth Day Nursery
As Britain gets ready for Wimbledon, a Bournemouth nursery could be serving up the tennis ace of the future.
Tiny tots as young as three at the Bournemouth Day Nursery are receiving weekly tennis coaching from LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) coach Will Bound. And who knows, among them might be the next Andy Murray or Virginia Wade – the two most recent Brits to lift aloft the sought-after Wimbledon trophy.
Bournemouth Day Nursery owner, Natalie Steele, said: “It’s not the kind of activity you find at most nurseries but we are always looking at new ways to keep our children fit and healthy and engaged in sport. So when Will approached us about offering coaching to our three to five year-olds we thought it would be a great idea. The children love playing tennis and we’re holding our very own Wimbledon-style tournament at the end of June, which they are really excited about.”
Will’s company, Tennis Bound, provides a special coaching programme for very young children. They are taught the fundamentals of tennis, while linking the programme to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Coaching can be done both outdoors and indoors, making it an all year-round activity.
Will commented: “Tennis is a fun and exciting way to encourage children to develop physically, mentally and socially. The boys and girls at the Bournemouth Day Nursery have really taken to tennis and are showing you’re never too young to get started at sport. And, if we’re going to produce more Andy Murrays and find another Wimbledon champion, we need to introduce more young children to this wonderful game.”
