Talent Search gets international flavour 

Does your six to eleven year old have the passion, drive and determination of a Casey Dellacqua or a Lleyton Hewitt? Do they enjoy playing different sports? Do they have good hand-eye coordination? If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then Tennis Australia and Tennis West are looking for you!

Launched by Tennis Australia during Australian Open 2006, the Talent Search Program is an exciting national Athlete Development initiative which aims to target and identify athletes from tennis circles as well as children from other sporting backgrounds.

 After the success of Talent Search Days held in Perth in November the program will be back in Perth in January 2009.

 Following on from a week of international tennis action at the Hopman Cup the Talent Search Day will be held on Saturday 10 January 2009.

 A Tennis Talent Search Day will be held:

Date: Saturday 10th January 2009
Venue: State Tennis Centre – Burswood
Address: Victoria Park Drive, Burswood, WA, 6100
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Registration: 9:00am

Enquiries: talentsearch@tenniswest.com.au

 To register for one of the above please visit the Tennis West website – www.tennis.com.au/wa and follow the links or click on the Player Development tab.

 Talent Search Days have been set up to entice a wide range of children from all parts of the community to participate. Talent Search will complement tennis-based talent identification programs already in place for the many thousands of players already involved in the sport.

 Tennis Australia in partnership with Tennis West plans to tackle other major sports head-on. “Talent Search Days are fun and exciting. The Talent Search program creates opportunities for children from both tennis backgrounds as well as those from other sports and gives them a chance to let their skills and talent shine,” Kim Kachel, Tennis Australia’s National Talent Search Coordinator, said. “Tennis West is delighted to be involved with Tennis Australia in this innovative program. We are conducting Talent Search Days in country and metropolitan centers in an endeavor to discover athletic ability from a wide pool of talent,” Callum Beale, National Academy Manager Perth, said.

 Places are limited to the first 72 athletes aged between 6 – 11 years of age (as at 31 December 2008) who would like to be tested over a broad range of athletic and tennis skills. All participants in Talent Search Days will have an action-packed, fun-filled day and will also receive several prizes.

 Additional information:

Tennis West is the governing body of tennis in the state of Western Australia and is responsible for the overall management, promotion and development of the game. Please visit the Talent Search page on the Tennis West website www.tennis.com.au/wa under Player Development for all relevant Talent Search information, including dates, registration requirements and FAQ’s.

 For further information, please email:

talentsearch@tenniswest.com.au