Culford School’s Tennis Academy is amongst the finest in the UK. In 2018, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) ranked Culford School as the number two boys’ and number three girls’ school in Great Britain.
Culford Tennis is led by Director of Sport, James Yates, who is a Level 5 Licensed Master Performance Coach.

Head Coach Andrew Richardson achieved an ATP single ranking of 130 in the world and 98 in doubles and represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup. Andrew’s relentless work ethic, coupled with a highly professional approach to the game, makes him one of the most respected coaches in the country.
The School Tennis Programme is open to all pupils and has seven different levels and varies from the squad to individual sessions based on the player’s ability, potential, and desire to succeed and progress.
Culford is an LTA Accredited Local Player Development Centre (LPDC) and Regional Player Development Centre (RPDC) and acts as a centre of excellence for the East region. For players who achieve the LTA criteria, funding can be available.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE TENNIS PROGRAMME
Beyond the School Tennis Programme, our performance programme is open to all Culford pupils above the age of nine who are in county training squads and have a ranking of Orange 1 or 1*. Suitability is determined by an interview with the Head of Tennis as well as an assessment by one of our six full-time performance tennis coaches. Player desire, potential, commitment and family support are all taken into consideration during this process.
Sessions for pupils on the performance tennis programme are scheduled around the academic timetable and may take place during the school day, at lunchtime and before and after school. Although a large portion of their day will be focused on tennis, it is expected that players remain up to date with their academic work, and they will have full support from teachers and their tutors to do so.
Sessions in the performance programmes focus on technical and individual skill development, game understanding, strength and conditioning and mental development.
The High-Performance Tennis Programme typically includes:
Individual, paired and squad sessions with a high-performance coach
Strength and Conditioning training
Tournament visits by our performance team
Holiday coaching programme
International training camps at La Manga, Spain
Competitive trips including TE12/14 and ITF U18
Goal setting, planning and reporting
Video analysis
Nutritional support if required
Sports psychology