SFA launches “Tennis for All” program in 30 schools across the Kingdom

Program is aimed at elementary, middle and secondary school students in Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh

The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) is launching the second phase of its “Tennis for All” program: a youth-focused initiative designed to inspire young people across the Kingdom to lead healthy, active lives by practicing tennis. 

Established in cooperation with the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) and the Ministry of Education (MOE), the implementation of the second phase of Tennis for All is slated to begin on April 30, 2023. Targeting Saudi citizens and residents — male and female — between the age of 6 and 18, the program will offer primary, middle, and secondary school students across the country access to tennis training and coaching.

The second phase of the initiative is focused on rolling out Tennis for All in schools across three of the Kingdom’s leading cities: Jeddah, Dammam, and Riyadh. 10 schools (five boys’ and five girls’ schools) in each city will be enrolled on the program, after which the third phase of the initiative will be launched, bringing 10 schools in all three aforementioned cities together to compete for top honors in a tennis tournament.

Scheduled to run for six months, Tennis for All — in line with Vision 2030 and the Quality of Life Program — has been established to raise awareness of the benefits of playing tennis, contribute to the development of a thriving, healthy sports community, and advance school tennis in the Kingdom.

The program aims to accomplish these goals by implementing a comprehensive educational model for school students, ensuring that pupils of all ages and backgrounds are readily supported to take up the sport. Crucially, Tennis for All is also focused on providing students a pathway to continue practicing the sport long after the program’s conclusion.

The first phase of Tennis for All was launched by SFA, STF and MOE in January 2023, with physical education teachers around the country — selected by MOE — being trained and upskilled in how to play and teach the sport of tennis.

Through the nation-wide program, SFA aims to provide tennis coaching to 4,500 male and female students. The coaching will begin with six initial training sessions that intend to provide a global overview of the sport. The best-performing participants will be selected to take part in the next stage of coaching, comprised of ten additional, more specific sessions. The third stage will be an inter-school tournament pitching schools within the same city against one another. The best players from these tournaments will then be invited to participate in    a final tournament at the STF Training Centers in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar. 

Following the final tournament, STF will train and supervise the program’s outstanding performers, offering mentorship and guidance to ensure they are well positioned to participate in competitive, official tournaments at the regional, national, and international level.

In keeping with SFA’s mission to bolster the Kingdom’s sports infrastructure and provide citizens and residents access to world-class sporting experiences and provisions, Tennis for All underlines the Federation’s commitment to creating a greater, healthier Saudi Arabia. The program extends SFA’s work to advance community sports and raise physical activity levels.