(L-R) Mr Simon Cheong, CEO and Chairman of SC Global Developments, Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY); Second Minister, Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), Mr Edwin Lee, President of Singapore Tennis Association (STA), launch the SC Global ‘Tennis For Every Child’ programme. (Photo 1 courtesy of SC Global)
PESEB, Wednesday, September 10, 2014 — In collaboration with the Singapore Tennis Association (STA), Singapore homegrown luxury property developer SC Global Developments Pte Ltd today launched their ‘Tennis for Every Child’ programme with some 40 students from four schools in a fun tennis carnival-themed event held at PESEB Sports Hall.
With the objective of widening interest and increasing participation in tennis amongst children at a grassroots level, the five-year community programme also aims to build a lasting legacy for tennis in Singapore that lives on after the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore — which is being held in the country for the first time in October — presented by SC Global wraps up.
In a five-year commitment from SC Global that is worth almost $500,000, SC Global ‘Tennis for Every Child’ has made it possible for between 8,500 to 10,000 primary school students to access modified tennis as part of their school programme in the first year. Fourteen schools have already enrolled in the ‘Tennis for Every Child’ programme for 2014 — Anderson Primary, Bedok West Primary, Concord Primary, Da Qiao Primary, Da Zhong Primary, Fernvale Primary, Innova Primary, Lian Hua Primary, Palm View Primary, Siling Primary, Tampines North Primary, Woodlands Primary, Fengshan Primary and Yu Neng Primary.
Four of the 14 schools are further committing to the programme by incorporating tennis as a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) option for their students. The ‘SC Global Tennis for Every Child’ programme will be subsidising the coaching fees for the CCA over the first three years of the programme with coaching professionally managed by the Singapore Tennis Association.
“By initiating this community programme, we hope not only to make an exciting impact on the learning journey by children in Singapore, but also to create a lasting legacy for the sport in Singapore after the WTA Finals concludes here in five years,” said Simon Cheong, Chairman and CEO, SC Global.
He also added, “This gives us an opportunity to widen the net with which to catch tennis talent at a young age. By encouraging children’s interest and participation in sport, I am confident that with the help of the Singapore Tennis Association, equipment partner Wilson and our other corporate supporter BreadTalk, the SC Global ‘Tennis for Every Child’ programme will provide children greater access to this great sport and hopefully inspire a new generation of homegrown tennis stars.”
Mr Gregory Tan, General Manager, Singapore Tennis Association, said, “STA advocates the promotion and development of tennis in Singapore. ‘Tennis For Every Child’ Programme is certainly aligned to our mission of broadening tennis outreach to schools. We are grateful to SC Global for giving us this opportunity to introduce tennis in a fun and interesting way through the International Tennis Federation Play and Stay Initiative. We are looking forward to exciting times in junior tennis development in Singapore.”
The SC Global ‘Tennis for Every Child’ programme is helping to widen participation in tennis in two distinct ways.
Firstly, SC Global is providing schools with new resources and the necessary skills with which to teach modified tennis (also referred to as mini-tennis), which include supplying the 14 schools with modified-tennis equipment — sponsored by equipment partner Wilson. In July this year, the teachers from the first 14 schools in the programme underwent the Play and Stay workshop conducted by the International Tennis Federation. This training will enable schools to introduce modified-tennis to students of various age groups as part of the term school programme.
Secondly, SC Global is also collaborating with the STA to deliver modified tennis programmes through schools’ Co-Curricular Activity (CCA). SC Global hopes to expand the ‘Tennis For Every Child” programme further in the years ahead and continue to widen the reach to more primary schools.
As part of the programme’s spirit of being inspired by the first best and discovering the fun and sportsmanship that tennis can provide, SC Global will be hosting 200 students from the programme each year at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.
More photos next page
Leave A Comment