Saifullah urges local govts to establish tennis academies

ISLAMABAD: Expressing his delight over the decision taken by the Islamabad Tennis Complex to raise an academy in the name of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) president Salim Saifullah Khan urged the local governments to spread sports academies for a bright future of youth and country’s sports.

Talking to ‘The News’ the PTF president hailed Senator Taj Haider’s initiative and the love he had shown for tennis over the years. “Senator Taj Haider has really been instrumental in supporting tennis by organising high-profile Benazir Bhutto International tennis events for repeated years. His latest decision to establish a tennis academy on the premises of the complex would really help spot talent at the right age.”

Saifullah also praised the untiring efforts of the chief executive of the club Fazle Subhan for devoting time and energy for the game. “Indeed it is a welcoming sign to see school-going boys and girls learning the art of tennis free of cost. Fazle Subhan and his son Kamran Khalil who is a Level III coach (the highest level anywhere) have always supported the cause of the game. It is a matter of great satisfaction that the efforts of the Pakistan Tennis Federation in revival of tennis activities and increase in the number of national annual events have started bringing fruits.”

The PTF president requested the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and other local governments across the country to raise small tennis academies for the game. “It is heartening to see CDA establishing cricket ground in Bani Gala. Likewise, tennis must be promoted by raising small academies in and around the capital. Other city and district governments should also work in this direction. One should not forget that, unlike cricket that is played among a handful of countries, tennis is followed and played in more than 200 countries around the world. Small academies would help teach the art of tennis to the youth and that way it would spot the talent for the game at the right age. As a tennis player myself, I hope that federal as well as provincial governments would help in spreading the tennis infrastructure across the country.

Pakistan have got the honour of playing amongst the best 30 countries around the world in the Davis Cup despite having meager resources and absolutely no or little infrastructure. You can imagine how far our players could go if we go on to engage a number of youngsters in the game.

The PTF is making all-out efforts and has already taken the game to AJK and other remote areas but it is the responsibility of the local governments to establish infrastructure for the game. This is the usual trend everywhere in the world.

The central, provincial, and city governments are responsible for infrastructure development. Even the Pakistan Cricket Board that gets millions and millions of dollars from the ICC look to local government for grounds’ development.”