BERMUDA may play host to an international coaching course next year, said David Lambert, head of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association.Lambert said the prospect of hosting the course came about after the visit of Anthony Jeremiah, the International Tennis Federation’s representative for the English-speaking Caribbean.

Jeremiah was in Bermuda earlier this month as a follow-up visit to see how Bermuda tennis was improving.

Lambert said: “If we hold the course it will not be just for Bermuda coaches but for all coaches in the English-speaking Caribbean. Mr. Jeremiah and the ITF really push countries to have good coaching.”

Jeremiah said of his visit: “Since last year when I came down we had some discussions on developing programmes and coaching education. There were certain things the BLTA were supposed to organise and work on and I came this year to follow up and see where they were at and also to see what assistance is needed.

“And I found that there has been excellent improvements made over the past year. It is great to see the effort that has been put out. For instance last year I had a meeting with the coaches and only a handful turned up. This year there was a full house. It is a great improvement and a positive sign for tennis in Bermuda.”

Lambert said: “He wanted to make sure that we had all of our components for the development programme.

“We had many discussions with him and he told us where we were strong and the things we should be focussing on. One point he did make was that we had to make sure our junior players competed in the team events overseas — competitions conducted by the ITF like the Junior World Doubles, the Junior Davis and Fed Cups, the (senior) Davis and Fed Cups as well as the Caribbean Under 14 Championships.”

Lambert said the ITF representative was also happy to see how the BLTA’s schools programme was progressing.

“He was pleased with our Pepperidge Farm Series where we have juniors playing every Sunday somewhere on the island.

“The schools programme is also expanding — we recently had the Inter-School Tennis Tournament and we had record-breaking numbers competing. It used to be that it was held on one Friday in February or March. It progressed so that we had to have it on two Fridays and now it has expanded so much we need three Fridays.”

And Lambert said that come September the BLTA hope to have tennis clubs in the schools.