Tennis coaches from across the region attended a coaching clinic at the Wangaratta Hardcourt Tennis Association last week aimed at equipping participants with the tools, training, and confidence they need to make tennis thrive in their community.

The clinic was part of Tennis Victoria’s Sustainable Regional Tennis Project, made possible through funding from the Victorian government and Tennis Australia to provide essential support resources to the people behind regional tennis.

Wangaratta Hardcourt Tennis Club president Dot Fox said the tennis clinic is significant for the local community and surrounds.

"We are lacking tennis coaches in all of our regions,” she said.

“Tennis coaches are hard to come by, particularly in small towns and these clinics attract coaches and equip them to work in the community.”

Fox said this is the third such event hosted in Wangaratta, with Tennis Victoria bringing it to the area.

"When there's more coaches there's an increased participation from the community,” she said.

"Tennis has died off a little but we need to bring it back and we need to go back to the grassroots of tennis by getting the coaches here and get the young kids back in playing sport.

"The physical and mental health benefits of being active are important but so is being part of a club and the social side."

Statistics from Tennis Australia indicate only 31 per cent of regional clubs have a coach, even though they account for a significant portion of the tennis landscape.

This initiative aims to ensure long-term growth, increased participation and a brighter future for regional clubs.

Clinic participant Mayra Walsh, coordinator of the kids' tennis program at Strathbogie Tennis Club, said taking part in this program will allow her to continue her work in the community.

"I can get accredited and then I can run these programs, so if we didn't have this course, we wouldn't have a coach," she said.

For Walsh, Wangaratta is only an hours travel, making the education accessible.

"Having it in a regional area means it's more accessible in terms of the distance we have to travel and then having it in these chunks in the school holidays means we can commit the time to just come and do a couple of days in a row instead of traveling every week like they do in Melbourne," she said.

Walsh said she is expecting a significant increase in participation.

"We're looking at possibly doubling the number of kids and adults playing tennis this summer because I'm able to offer more programs," she said.

"While these are small numbers compared to a city or big town, it's a big difference for those families and it makes a big impact for a community."

For more information on the Sustainable Regional Tennis project, visit https://www.tennis.com.au/vic/sustainable-regional-tennis.