Despite what people say, the LTA does not have sufficient funds to help all the young players who need help with their development.

Tennis is an expensive game when it comes to developing young talent from beginner to Tour level – perhaps as much as £250,000 [with the bulk of those funds being required to compete internationally].

The LTA operates one of the largest player support programmes in world tennis.  Many players benefit directly through Matrix funding and some indirectly through a £3m support programme for performance centres throughout the country.

For younger players, 12 and under, direct funding is available based on a mixture of talent and results. As the player gets older the funding is based upon the achievement of rankings gained  from both International and domestic tournaments. The qualifying rankings are the LTA's UK rankings, the  Tennis Europe (TE) ranking for players to 14 & 16 &Under; and then the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) ranking for players up to 18 & Under. The top funding amount is given to those selected as Team AEGON players, decreasing through Matrix A, B and C, so players who reach the required ranking know precisely how much they will receive.

The system is tough and fair, but somewhat inflexible. The LTA acknowledges that some players outside their system are disadvantaged because they cannot compete equally. Leaving aside attendance at an academy (perhaps the most famous, Nick Bolletieri's, costs about US $ 40,000 per annum) it's easy to see how a financially challenged family could not afford to send their child abroad to compete for TE and ITF ranking points. Each European trip is likely to cost a minimum of c£750 per week.

It is these players that Tennis First seeks to help and they fall into 4 main categories:

(a) the financially challenged
(b) players who have had long term injuries and whose ranking has fallen significantly
(c) late developers
(d) LTA funded players who do not have sufficient funding to allow them to maximise their development

Tennis First chooses it's players independently and is flexible enough to direct resources where they are most needed. That could mean extra coaching; specialist advice (e.g. physical training, psychology); travel expenses; or contributions to academies.

None of the money is distributed without proper scrutiny of the effectiveness of the grant, both for the recipient and the charity.

Grants are awarded annually and grantees must re-apply annually for further funding, allowing the Grants Board to assess progress and ensure that the player is still on track to becoming a Tour player.

Tennis First has the full support and endorsement of the LTA

The people who make Tennis First work are:-

• The Trustees
• The Grants Board
• The Fundraising Board
• You!