Far North Queensland's up-and-coming tennis stars will be among the first to benefit from a series of programs designed to help young Indigenous players hone their skills.
The Australian Tennis Foundation (ATF) has today announced $115,000 to fund Indigenous Tennis Programs in Queensland over the next three years.
ATF ambassador and world number one, Ash Barty, said the initiative was about supporting Indigenous children across a range of areas.
"I think it's incredible to see the pathways that are now available to Indigenous youth," she said.
"It's really special to be able to give people of all ages that opportunity to grow and learn about how much sport has to offer in the way of connecting people and communities."
The announcement comes after Barty, a proud Ngarigo woman, spent a week in Far North Queensland getting to know the region's aspiring Indigenous players.
During the visit, Barty swapped serves with a group of 20 students at Cairns West State School and went on a guided walk through Mossman Gorge with six young players from the Cairns region.
Barty said the programs would help Indigenous children develop through sport.
"This funding provides an opportunity, not just in tennis, but in education and in experiences," she said.
"It's all about giving opportunity to Indigenous youth and providing pathways through tennis to show what our sport can do for our culture."
The first of the programs will be rolled out in Far North Queensland and Toowoomba, in collaboration with local organisations.
'We want to make incredible human beings'
Tennis coach and Jirrbal woman Kieryn Lenoy said it was an amazing opportunity for local players.
"There's always been a lot of talk about growing the Indigenous space for tennis up in the Cairns region, so it's great news that there is funding an investment into this area," she said.
Ms Lenoy will be involved in delivering the Indigenous Tennis Program in Cairns as a mentor.
"Tennis is purely the vehicle for our Indigenous participants," she said.
"If we can get them on board with playing tennis we'd look to provide a holistic approach to supporting them in their pathway through life.
"We don't want to make just fantastic tennis players, we want to be able to make incredible human beings from the program too."
