By Tony Hawks Author and comedian

UK hopes rested on one man

I should watch it when I've had a few drinks. Taking on bets when drunk has led me to do some very odd things, such as hitch-hiking around Ireland with a fridge, or playing the entire Moldovan national football team at tennis.

My latest undertaking is to try to convince the UK's 460 local councils to make tennis free on all their park courts. This came about after a few drinks with someone I'd met on a flight back from India. Cecil Hollwey is a fashion executive who shares my exasperation about tennis in Britain - it's perceived to be an elitist sport.

I told Cecil that I'd just played tennis on a park court in the United States, and that it had been free.

"Why do you think it's like that in America and not in the UK?" asked Cecil.
"I don't know," I said. "But shall we do something about it?"
"Yes - why not?"

Tony Hawks at a locked court

And so we have, in time for Wimbledon. Our campaign is called Tennis for Free [see Internet Links on right] - we want councils to rethink their policy towards tennis in parks. So we're asking people to urge their local councils to make tennis free in parks, at least at off-peak times.

So what will this do for the nation? And will it improve the British bid to find a Wimbledon champion? Well, more people playing tennis can't harm either cause, in my view.

Hopes raised

We need to raise the profile of tennis during the 50 weeks of the year when the Wimbledon tournament isn't on.

The Williams sisters rose from the ghetto to tennis stardom

If we can announce that tennis is no longer a game which you have to have money to play, and if we can somehow find incentives to get kids from inner-city areas onto tennis courts, then perhaps a new breed of hungry young player might emerge in 10 years' time.

Even if he or she doesn't, what have we lost? Nothing. If more people are in parks, these become safer places for everybody (council leaders have told me this).

If more young people can play tennis during the summer holidays then perhaps there will be fewer bored youngsters committing offences. And if pensioners take advantage of free off-peak tennis, then their health will benefit. It's a win-win situation.

So far the response has been magnificent.

Three councils have already announced that most of their courts will be free from here-on in: Rushmoor and Gosport councils in Hampshire, and the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. We've even had an offer of free coaching.

I just wish this campaign didn't take up so much time - then I might get time to play myself.

For more information on the campaign, see Internet Links on right of this page.