Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation

14/10/2026

💧🎾 MORE THAN JUST A WATER BOTTLE — A GESTURE THAT MEANS SO MUCH ❤️
Sometimes it is the simplest acts of kindness that make the biggest difference.

The Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation would like to say a very special and heartfelt thank you to Rene Plant and the wonderful students and parents of St Mary’s Waverley for their incredibly generous donation of water bottles to our young tennis players.
With Johannesburg experiencing some seriously scorching days, these water bottles have come at the perfect time. Our youngsters spend long hours on court, running, hitting, learning, competing and pushing themselves to become better tennis players. Being able to stay hydrated while they do so is not something we take for granted.

But these bottles represent far more than keeping our youngsters cool and hydrated.
They are a tangible reminder to our children that people care about them, believe in them and want to see them succeed.
For many of the youngsters who come through JTGF, tennis is about much more than learning how to hit a forehand or serve. It is about confidence, discipline, friendship, opportunity and discovering that they are capable of achieving things they may never have believed possible.

And when someone like Rene, together with the students and parents of St Mary’s Waverley, takes the time to think about their needs and support them, it sends a powerful message:
“You matter. We see you. We believe in you.” ❤️

That is what grassroots sport is all about.
To Rene and everyone at St Mary’s Waverley — thank you for standing alongside our youngsters. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping us give these young players the opportunity to learn, grow and fall in love with tennis.

Your kindness will be felt every time one of our youngsters picks up their water bottle, heads onto court and works a little harder to improve their game. 🎾💧
From all of us at JTGF — thank you. It means more than you know. 🙏❤️

15/09/2026

15/09/2026

🎾📚 Tennis, Education, and Role Models – A Winning Combination!

I am incredibly proud of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Tennis Club students who have given their time over the past two weeks to assist our Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation (JTGF) scholars at Ellis Park Tennis Centre.

The UJ students have been helping our youngsters check their school books, organise their homework and keep their schoolwork in order – while also spending time with them on the tennis court.

At JTGF, we believe that our programme cannot be successful if we only focus on tennis. We have to focus on the whole child. Academic progress is essential, and learning to balance schoolwork, sport, and other responsibilities is an important life skill.

Many parents are understandably reluctant to allow their children to play sport when they believe that time should be spent on schoolwork. But seeing university students who are succeeding academically making time for tennis and education is a powerful example for both our youngsters and their parents.

It demonstrates an important lesson: it is not about choosing between sport and education – it is about learning to manage your time.

A healthy body helps feed a healthy mind. 🧠🎾

And who better to act as facilitators and role models than university students themselves? The relationship is a genuine win-win. Our JTGF youngsters receive academic support, encouragement, and positive role models, while the UJ students are able to fulfil their community engagement and social outreach responsibilities.

Most importantly, our youngsters can see what is possible when education, sport, discipline, and opportunity come together.

👏 A huge thank you to our UJ Tennis Club students for getting involved and investing in the future of our JTGF scholars.

The next step? Finding scholarships and bursaries for those youngsters who are part of the JTGF programme, so that talent and hard work – both on the tennis court and in the classroom – can open doors to a brighter future.

🎾 Developing the player. Developing the student. Developing the person.

26/08/2026

What happens when one person has a vision to restore a facility to its former glory?
The knock on effects can be enormous.

I’m telling the stories of the Hopedealers in Joburg, people who are choosing to change the narrative of the city. This is one of my faves!

Alec Galanakis is a former teacher at Jeppe Boys, passionate tennis player and member of Johannesburg Tennis Exco.

Driving to Jeppe Boys School every day from Randburg, Alec would pass the historic Ellis Park Tennis Courts. The courts stood largely abandoned and underutilised. When rumours emerged that the City might repurpose the land for housing, Alec and a group of friends decided to act.

After resigning from teaching in 2024, Alec helped establish a foundation dedicated to preserving and revitalising the Ellis Park Tennis precinct.

The programme launched in February 2025. Now dozens of kids attend lessons at the historic site. The initiative provides not only sporting opportunities but also mentorship, discipline and a safe after-school environment.

Local tennis clubs across Johannesburg have rallied behind the initiative, donating racquets, balls, clothing and equipment.

This is not just a tennis story. It is about heritage preservation, youth development, employment creation, community ownership and reclaiming neglected public spaces.

You can support and donate here: https://joburgtgf.org/

Watch the full episode here:

https://youtu.be/GU0r-9jnnwY

In this episode of The Hope Dealers, Mandy Wiener visits the histor...

10/08/2026

🎾🏙️ TENNIS TAKES OVER THE HEART OF JOZI! 🏙️🎾

Yesterday, Sunday, Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation took tennis to the streets of central Johannesburg as part of Jozi My Jozi’s Main Street Sunday — and what a day it was!

We occupied Harrison Street, transforming the heart of the city into a tennis playground! 🎾🔥

Four mini tennis courts were set up right in the middle of the city, and hundreds of Jozi citizens came out to pick up a racquet, have a hit, share some laughs and discover that tennis truly belongs to everyone.
From first-timers to experienced players, young and old, the streets came alive with the sound of tennis, music, laughter and community.

This is exactly what grassroots sport should be about: taking sport to the people, breaking down barriers and making tennis accessible to everyone.

A massive THANK YOU to Jozi My Jozi for giving us the opportunity to occupy the city — and to the hundreds of incredible Johannesburg residents who joined us and made the day so special.

And of course, thank you to Yonex for supporting the growth of tennis and helping us bring the game to new communities. 🙌🎾
Harrison Street was our court.
Johannesburg was our clubhouse.
And Jozi showed us that tennis has a home in the heart of the city! 💚🎾

What a brilliant day!

01/08/2026

PROUD MOMENT FOR THE JOBURG TENNIS GRASSROOTS FOUNDATION! 🎾💙

Today marked another milestone in the incredible journey of the Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation as our young players proudly competed in the RCS Rising Stars tournament.

The RCS Rising Stars programme is a nationwide grassroots schools competition, with district and provincial tournaments taking place across South Africa from April through to September. To see our players standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the strongest primary school teams in Johannesburg is something we will never forget.

Our Foundation entered four boys' teams and three girls' teams, with an incredible 28 young players representing JTGF – the largest contingent at the tournament.

While we may not have won every match, today was about so much more than results. Our players displayed courage, determination, sportsmanship and resilience. They competed with pride, embraced every challenge and, most importantly, showed everyone that talent exists in every community when opportunity is provided.
Many of these children only recently picked up a tennis racquet, yet today they stood on court believing they belonged. That is a victory in itself.

A heartfelt thank you to Marisa and Joburg Tennis for their incredible support and for making our participation possible. We are equally grateful to Yonex South Africa, Baseline Racquets, the members of Marks Park Tennis Club, and the parents and scholars of De La Salle Holy Cross College for ensuring our players were properly equipped with racquets, clothing and playing kit. Because of your generosity, our children not only competed—they looked and felt like champions.

Today was another reminder that tennis changes lives. It builds confidence, creates opportunities and inspires dreams.
This is only the beginning.
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