All abilities and all stars
Schools
For many Australians, playing sport was an important part of their childhood. An opportunity to meet friends, develop new skills and to be active. But for some children, especially those with disabilities, it can be more difficult to get involved. NOAH SACHS reports.
For many Australians, playing sport was an important part of their childhood. An opportunity to meet friends, develop new skills and to be active. But for some children, especially those with disabilities, it can be more difficult to get involved.
This year, Tennis South Australia is tackling this issue and creating opportunities for children with disabilities to get on the court, through its inaugural All-Abilities School Cup. The tournament, held on 24 March, brought together more than 100 students (aged from 10 to 18) from eight schools across South Australia, to compete in a format designed to engage and include everyone.
Tennis SA Development Officer, Bradley Pool, emphasised the importance of events like the All-Abilities School Cup to offer everyone, regardless of circumstance, a chance to partake in sport.
“Whether that’s on the tennis court or in any other capacity, opportunities like this need to be accessible and available to everyone,” he said.
“Some players with disabilities might not feel comfortable in a mainstream tennis environment, so with this event we tried to find ways that ensured all the players would be relaxed and were able to enjoy themselves. There is no reason everyone shouldn’t get a chance to enjoy sport.”
To ensure all participants felt comfortable to engage with the activities, the day was split into two formats, with students choosing to either take part in circuits of tennis drills focused on teaching the fundamental skills of tennis, or the Red Ball Challenge, where students played their peers in short matches.
Students were given the opportunity to represent their schools, earning points within activities or by winning rallies in the Red Ball Challenge. At the end of the day, the 25 students representing the Cardijn College Marist Centre claimed victory.
Aurora Choat, a teacher at Cardijn College, said it was a fantastic day “filled with fun and joy”.
“Some students had done tennis in sports lessons, but many had little experience. We just went to have a fun day out. It was more about enjoying ourselves and engaging with the activities.”
Bradley Pool was similarly upbeat.
“It was amazing to have so many people passionate about inclusivity help make this event possible,” he said.
Bradley said the assistance from Disability Sport Australia, School Sport SA, Adelaide University, Special Olympics Australia, local tennis coaches and school teachers helped create a positive experience for the students on the day.
“Seeing how excited the students were, and the smiles on all of their faces, it was clear that this event was a success and having so many people come together to create that was really awesome to see.”
Building on the success of the 2026 All-Abilities School Cup, Tennis South Australia will look to run this event annually, with the goal of increasing accessible opportunities for school students with disabilities to get involved in sports.
