Greater Accra Tennis Association to open gender office

The Greater Accra Tennis Association (GATA) has announced plans to set up a gender office with the aim of increasing female participation in the sport.

Chairperson of the Association, Hajia Zenabu Akoto, disclosed this during a one-day Tennis summit dubbed, “Branding and New Media For Today’s Tennis player.”

According to her, it was necessary to open such an office so as to encourage more females to get involved in tennis.

"We are looking forward to having a gender office, that’s what we are lacking. we have realized that in all the activities that are going on in Accra or the country per se, females are outnumbered. So we want to put up a gender office that females can get access to registration with female coaches. Some of them also need to be encouraged to become female coaches."

Hajia Zenabu Akoto also mentioned that the Association will soon be coming up with a competition for females only.

“We have tried to put up a regional Girls championship which will be coming up soon. We are also looking to have women championship in the region by 2021,” she disclosed.

Meanwhile, other tennis groups in the Region have been asked to join the main body, GATA.

Whilst she acknowledged that the springing of many other tennis foundations were instrumental in the development of the sport, she explained that it was necessary for them to be recognized by the Greater Accra Tennis Association in case of unforeseen and unexpected events.

“We have realized that so many foundations like tennis academies are coming up. That is good because they are helping Greater Accra in tennis and then preparing players for the country. But I will also want to say that you cannot get and create an association by yourself, you cannot set up an academy or foundations by yourself. We have a mother association – Greater Accra Tennis Association. We don’t need your money. All you need to write to us to be an affiliation so that when something happens outside the court, we as an association, we will be there to support because our mother association which is Ghana Tennis Federation will come to our aid when we need help,” she explained.