The first week of November 2024 was totally dedicated to develop tennis in the Gambia.
With the Gambia Lawn Tennis Association and local coaches we distributed donations among the children next to the stadium and visited four schools where we introduced the sport.
School directors, sport instructors, voluntarees and all donations helped make this adventure a big success.
Arrived at Banjul with my friend Trudy and 72! kg of luggage.
At the Stadium
After a warm welcome we started distributing cloths and shoes among the children. Some came bare foot and left with nice sneackers.
Witnessed the training, different levels, different ages, different type of training. All of them with the same enthousiasm and encouraged by the great coaches they have.
Visiting schools
The visits and first experience with a tennis racket was a good start to build more interest in the game. Hopefully tennis will be part of the school program helping students with sports and motivating them to get good school results.
On my way to the first school with rackets and the mobile net donated by Tennis Direct.
Marina International School
School visits took off at the Marina IS, where we had a great time with the students as they had a hands-on experience on the tennis courts.
SBEC International High School
The donated rackets and portable net were a valuable resource, enabling the students to engage in a variety of exercises. This equipment provided the opportunity to spread out and explore different activities.
St. Augustine
Next stop, the St. Augustine high school.
We noticed the students were prepared for our visit and were very eager to play and try some exchanges.
Rev J.C. Baje
With the VP of the Gambia Lawn Tennis Association, Julius Freeman, we started the visit in the Principal’s office and discussed the afternoon’s program and the future steps.
Once the tennis net was installed, the rackets were distributed, the children were gathered to watch what was happening: a quick demonstration of the coaches.
After handing over tennis rackets and balls students were invited to hit some balls, try out and enjoy the time on the court.
