STATOIL FUNDS GRASS-ROOTS TENNIS CHARITY ‘GIVE IT YOUR MAX’

Written by: Staff on 4th June 2012

STATOIL FUNDS GRASS-ROOTS TENNIS CHARITY ‘GIVE IT YOUR MAX’ |

Statoil, Norway’s largest international energy company, has today announced plans to provide financial support for a minimum of three years for ‘Give It Your Max’, one of the UK’s leading grass-roots tennis charities. The funding is part of Statoil’s sponsorship initiative ‘Heroes of Tomorrow’ supporting young talented people in the sport, culture and education fields.

‘Give It Your Max’, a charity founded by Mike and Tara Stotesbury in 2005, in memory of their son Max who died in a tragic motoring accident in 2004 aged 18, will use the funding to develop a new tennis site at the Paddington Recreation Ground, situated near to Statoil’s London headquarters in Paddington Basin. The new tennis site is scheduled to open in September and Give It Your Max coaches will visit local schools to provide coaching.

Mike Stotesbury, Founder and Trustee of ‘Give It Your Max’ comments: “We are extremely grateful to Statoil for their generous financial support for ‘Give It Your Max’ over the next three years. The benefits of this new funding will enable us to add to our existing 6 sites across the UK and open up a further tennis initiative on the 12 recently built tennis courts in Paddington. This will introduce more children to tennis at a young age in another deprived part of the capital. Since 2005 ‘Give It Your Max’ has introduced at least 50,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 to tennis across the UK.”

John Knight, Statoil’s Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Business Development, comments: “By sponsoring Give It Your Max, Statoil hopes to enable a larger number of young British children in our local community in Paddington to access decent tennis coaching and have the opportunity to discover their talents.”

Statoil also recently announced two other tennis sponsorship initiatives, becoming the new title sponsor for the Statoil Masters Tennis, the ATP World Tour’s Champions Tennis Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and also sponsoring leading British player Heather Watson, who is an ambassador in the UK for Statoil’s Heroes of Tomorrow programme.

With the proven success of the first few years operation and the support provided by Statoil ‘Give It Your Max’ is now looking forward to expanding its centres within the UK. The prime purpose of ‘Give it your Max’ is to improve the lives of young people, who would not normally have the opportunity of playing tennis.

Both ‘Give It Your Max’ tennis coaches and the children’s Primary School teachers have seen the impact of the tennis coaching go far beyond the tennis court. A year 3 teacher from Camelot Primary School in Peckham recounted: “Through ‘Give It Your Max’ the children have benefitted from increased levels of concentration, co-ordination and fitness. It has also made a positive impact on the children’s behaviour during the school day”.

Mike Stotesbury goes on to say: “Further benefit has been seen in areas where there is a youth gang culture where ‘Give It Your Max’ has given children a practical alternative and shown a new and positive approach to life. In addition to the social and educational benefits ‘Give It Your Max’ has started to impact on youth tennis. Eight year old Rachel Barnett from Reading, who was introduced to the game by ‘Give It Your Max’, is now considered to be one of the best in the country in her age group and there are a number of players with excellent potential in all the Centres.”

Successful ‘Give It Your Max’ programmes are now established in Reading, Canterbury and Orpington in Kent, Edgbaston Birmingham and in Greater London, Peckham and Merton. Another new initiative close to the Kent coast is now in the planning stage.

For further information or interviews with Mike Stotesbury, Founder of ‘Give It Your Max’ or any of the ‘Give It Your Max’ Patrons or Trustees please contact Richard Henman at Henman Communications on +447810 448782 / rph@henmancom.com or Bård Glad Pedersen, Media Relations, Statoil.

‘Give It Your Max’ Patrons are: Tim Henman OBE, Virginia Wade OBE and Sir Trevor McDonald OBE

Topics: 10sballs.com, British tennis news, Give It Your Max, Norway tennis news, Sports, tennis charities, Tim Henman, Virginia Wade