The State Of the Game ----New Zealand Tennis

Well the big news this week was the resignation of Tennis New Zealand CEO Steve Walker.Did it come as a surprise NO! You would of had to of have you head in the sand if you did not see this coming after Walkers family moved back to Australia in January with Walker commuting back across the ditch from Aussie!So the questions must be asked did Walkers rein advance tennis in this country or not, well maybe these questions will soon be answered ,I had one anonymous comment in the past few days of "rats deserting a sinking ship".So it was with interest i read this press release a glowing report and in Mr Walkers words "We've made some great progress in the areas of game development, coaching and peak performance.He also goes on to say ""I would like to think that, beyond my tenure, the sport is now constitutionally, strategically and operationally aligned. Really Mr Walker ? Have you not been updated with the Southern region problems? The article reads like a Tennis New Zealand roadshow stravaganza it points out 1.A new plan for coach education, offering courses and professional development opportunities for aspiring and current coaches at all levels, was introduced, along with a coach registration and certification programme that should improve coaching across New Zealand...hasn't quite met with great support Mr Walker....check the numbers of registered coaches! And didn't the Guy in charge of coaching development also resign his position ,Pete McGraw? No 2 is a real biggie! * The establishment of a development network of 14 people now 'armed' with a set of "tools" and programmes to work with clubs and coaches with which to grow the game.So who are these 14 and are they funded by TNZ to grow the game.....which I have to say needs a lot of water at the moment.No3 Enhancements and improvements to domestic competition opportunities such as Grasshopper Tournaments to Junior Masters and the Money Tournaments around New Zealand.Yep no money to host Futures ,Introduce a ranking system that is only used in New Zealand and don't get me started on Top Dog that has so many inconsistency's juniors don't play in some cases to protect their very valuable Top Dog Ranking. And of course local juniors have risen in ITF rankings by playing themselves in Holiday resorts such as Fiji and New Caledonia!And finally this "Walker has the full support of the TNZ board which acknowledged his contribution to the game in New Zealand" Really??? One board member and a reasonably high profile board member does not hold this view by reports this week. Watch this space , there will be more State of the Game reality checks coming soon . There are some still with their head in the sand lets hope for tennis sake they can surface soon.Read the article here