Get into coaching - Yorkshire Tennis in partnership with Court Craft

After huge success in 2025, Yorkshire Tennis and Court Craft delivered the Get Into Coaching Yorkshire programme once again in 2026. The programme is designed to bring more people from different backgrounds and under-represented groups into coaching tennis and padel. We particularly want to see greater numbers of women, people from minority or disadvantaged communities, and people with disabilities involved in coaching our sports. 

PLEASE NOTE: THE PROGRAMME HAS NOW CLOSED TO APPLICATIONS

Get into Coaching Yorkshire is aimed at people already in work looking for a second income or to learn something new. It’s also aimed at those looking for part-time work that gives them greater work-life balance, people who are retired but wan to stay busy or someone who is looking for a career change. There are some great examples of people with transferable skills from different industries – teaching, the fire service, police and the public sector, for example – moving into part-time or full-time tennis and padel coaching. 

Check out Peter Gray’s and Sophie Cousin’s stories below. Peter was a teacher and works at John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds after completing an LTA coaching qualification. Former PE teacher Sophie Cousins is an LTA Level 3 tennis coach and completed a padel instructor’s course through ‘Get into Coaching’. She now coaches at Wetherby Padel Club. 

Get into Coaching is being delivered in partnership between Yorkshire Tennis and Court Craft, the LTA’s official workforce development centre for the North of England. Anyone who would like to get involved in coaching and wants to know more, can choose from the below in 2026: 

  • Invite to two online sessions to introduce and find out more about Yorkshire Tennis and Court Craft. 
  • Grant funding towards the LTA Instructor (Level 2) qualifications, offering up to 50% towards the core fee, paid on completion of core work. 
  • Practical support to prepare you for the LTA Instructor Readiness Test Day for tennis or padel 
  • One-to-one LTA coach mentoring sessions 

Additional funding for coach development and qualifications
Yorkshire Tennis can also now offer two further funding schemes to help cover the cost of coaching qualifications:

Inclusion Grant 2026, funded by the LTA

There has been a lot of work identifying and taking positive action to support coaches from under-represented groups, including women, people from minority ethnic communities and people who are disabled. Court Craft, in partnership with the LTA, will support those in under represented groups who are interested in tennis and padel coaching. Funding is available to support people booking onto LTA Instructor (Level 2) and Padel Instructor (Level 2) courses

Female LTA Coach Qualification Bursary, funded by Yorkshire Tennis

This bursary to support more female coaches to gain LTA Coach Qualification (Level 3) in Yorkshire to develop the female coaching workforce in the county at this qualification level. Further information coming soon

LTA Assistant (Level 1) courses being delivered in Yorkshire

Dates  Venue  Booking link 
10/5/26 and 7/6/26  Huddersfield Tennis Centre  Book here via Court Craft website 
7/6/26 and 12/7/26  Graves Health and Sports Centre  Book here via Court Craft website 
11/7/26 and 1/8/26   Bridlington Book here via Court Craft website 
27/9/26 and 25/10/26  Leeds Beckett University  Book here via Court Craft website 
8/11/26 and 13/12/26  Nuffield Health Hull Fitness & Wellbeing Gym  Book here via Court Craft website 


LTA Tennis Instructor (Level 2) courses being delivered in Yorkshire

Dates  Venue  Booking link 

28/6/26, 5/7/26, 19/7/26 and 2/8/26 

Leeds Beckett University 

Book here via Court Craft website 

13/12/26, 20/12/26, 10/1/27 and 24/1/27 

Graves Health and Sports Centre 

Book here via Court Craft website 


LTA Padel Instructor (L2) courses being delivered in Yorkshire 

Dates  Venue Booking link 
16/6/26, 17/6/26, 7/7/26 and 21/7/26  York St John  Book here via Court Craft website 
22/9/26, 23/9/26, 6/10/26 and 20/10/26  Sheffield (Hillsborough)   Book here via Court Craft website 


Please note Court Craft delivers LTA Assistants across the North of England.  The full list can be found on Court Craft website here.