The vision of the LTA is ‘Tennis Opened Up’, with our mission ‘to transform communities through tennis’, by making tennis welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring to everyone.
The Wheelchair Performance Pathway plays a critical role in this mission, and we are seeking a high impact, experienced, and highly credible Head Coach - Wheelchair Performance Pathway to ensure Great Britain remains one of the most respected nations in the world for player development. This includes delivering a world-leading Wheelchair Tennis Player Pathway to support and develop wheelchair tennis players to progress from the early stages of performance competition through to an elite international level, with the ultimate ambition being for British players to win Grand Slams titles, Paralympic Games medals and World Team Cup titles.
The Head Coach - Wheelchair Performance Pathwaywill have direct responsibility for overseeing and quality assuring the technical, tactical and performer development content of supported player programs within an interdisciplinary performance environment. Within this they will oversee the case management of all programme players via the National Coach Team and will be directly case manage any Elite players.
The Head Coach will work closely with the Head of Wheelchair Performance Pathway over the strategic direction and delivery of the Wheelchair Tennis World Class Programme, will lead on the weekly delivery of National Training delivery based out of the National Tennis Centre (NTC) and will work jointly with the Head of Wheelchair Performance Pathway to plan and manage effective staffing of major tournaments and non-NTC based development camps and trips. The Head Coach will also undertake direct on-court delivery during National training at the NTC, at performance camps, targeted competitions like Grand slams and other ITF Wheelchair tournaments and within specific medal focused events such as the World Team Cup and Paralympic Games.
The Head Coach will also line manage all other Wheelchair Performance Pathway National and Performance Coaches.
Craig Allen (Coach to Alfie Hewett, 33 times Grand Slam Champion) shared his thoughts below on the role:
“To work within the LTA Wheelchair team is a fantastic opportunity for any aspirational performance coach who wishes to work at the top level in the sport. As a performance coach who devoted 30yrs to developing players to a national and international level, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work in wheelchair tennis and do not regret one moment of the past 3.5yrs. I feel that everything I learnt over the years in terms of player development, planning and being on the road, has held me in good stead to deal with the challenges I have faced in my role of coaching Alfie Hewett.
Working every day with an elite professional athlete and being around a team who strive for success and constant improvement, has been extremely rewarding. Whether you are coaching players who play tennis on their feet or in a wheelchair, it is still high performance tennis and brings tremendous excitement and reward for you as the coach, where else will you get the opportunity to travel to all Grand Slams to watch and support the British players on the greatest stage in our sport”.
Life at the LTA
The LTA, through its vision 'Tennis Opened Up', is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues feel included and a strong sense of belonging. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse communities, deaf and disabled people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and people with lived experience of the UK's many and varied communities.
Read some of our colleague testimonials below and find out more here
“As a new mum, I’ve appreciated the LTA’s newly enhanced benefits, which have supported me during maternity leave and in my return to work. In total, I have been with the LTA for four years and love the diversity of my role.”
“Everyone's respected in terms of the culture, ethnicity, and the background, so you don't feel inequal in any capacity. I remember how supportive my team had been during Ramadan, being fully understanding of its requirements and flexible with my work schedule.”
“As a new starter at the LTA, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Being a tennis fan, I was excited to join the organisation, and from day one, I’ve been impressed by everyone’s dedication to our mission of “Tennis Opened Up”, as well as promoting diversity, inclusion, and sustainability”