Hey tennis fans! Get ready for some exciting news. The Tennis Black List is coming back for a second year on 27 June 2024. Can you believe it? We can’t wait to celebrate all the amazing role models from the black community in tennis once again.
But wait, there’s more! This time, you, yes YOU, will have the chance to vote for two of the awards. How cool is that? You can vote for the Game Changer in the community and Coaching/performance awards. This will make the awards even more special and collaborative.
The event will be held at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, just like last year. And why not? The inaugural Tennis Black List awards in June this year were a huge success. It was a night filled with excitement and recognition for the incredible individuals and organizations from grassroots level to the professional game in Britain and around the world.
The Tennis Black List was founded by Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo, with the support of the LTA. They wanted to create a platform to honor and celebrate the achievements of black tennis role models. And boy, did they succeed!
The winners of the awards were presented with their well-deserved trophies by some amazing people. LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd, Marsha De Cordova, Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tennis and MP for Battersea, Sanjay Bhandari, Kick it Out Chair, and Garnet Mackinder, Sport England Head of Equality were among the presenters. It was a star-studded night, to say the least.
The Tennis Black List draws inspiration from the successful Football Black List and Rugby Black List. These initiatives have shown us the power of celebrating black excellence in sports. And now, tennis is joining the party!
So, what are the categories for the 2024 Tennis Black List? Brace yourselves. We have the Icon award, Game Changer in the Community, Media, Rising Star, Coaching and Performance, Players, International Trailblazer, and Administration. Wow, that’s quite a lineup!
If you’re curious about the winners from the 2023 Tennis Black List, you can read all about them. Anne-Marie Batson, one of the co-founders of the Tennis Black List, expressed her excitement about the upcoming event. She said, ‘We are ecstatic to celebrate our prestigious Tennis Black List event again at the esteemed National Tennis Centre London, in partnership with the LTA. After the success of the 2023 event, we’re delighted to continue building a platform recognizing outstanding achievements in the tennis community. The Tennis Black List is also a chance to inspire the next generation to dream big and accomplish remarkable things. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the event and celebrating the tennis community’s achievements.’
Richard Sackey Addo, the other co-founder, also shared his enthusiasm. He said, ‘After a fantastic inaugural event in June, we’re thrilled to confirm the date of the 2024 Tennis Black List. The response and feedback we’ve received from different parts of the world since June has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re grateful to everyone who has supported what we’re trying to achieve. In the lead up to the 2024 Tennis Black List, we look forward to continuing to grow our network and showcasing some more amazing role models doing brilliant work in our sport, as well as highlighting the different opportunities and career pathways that are available in tennis.’
Scott Lloyd, the LTA Chief Executive, added, ‘We’re delighted to be continuing to support the Tennis Black List, including once again hosting the event at the National Tennis Centre. This year’s very first Tennis Black List was a significant milestone in both raising awareness and celebrating the achievements of tennis role models from across the black community. We are working hard to ensure black communities are more fully represented in our sport, and we know that recognizing leaders helps encourage people such as players, coaches, or volunteers to get involved. As we continue to work with partners such as the Tennis Black List and others across the country, I look forward to building on that ongoing work with another inspirational event next year.’
So mark your calendars, tennis fans! The Tennis Black List is back, and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. Get ready to celebrate the incredible achievements of black tennis role models and be inspired to dream big. See you at the National Tennis Centre on 27 June 2024!