Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club aims to play a key part in the LTA Performance Plan to advance talented young players to the senior level.

The club has worked closely with the LTA over the past year to fulfil the necessary requirements to become a performance centre. Following accreditation, the club's performance programme will swing into overdrive under the direction of Performance Coach Nick Fitzpatrick and Head Coach Simon Ickringill.

The ultimate goal of the LTA is of course to produce senior players who are much more visible on the world stage and Ilkley hopes to play their part in making this a reality.

OHS, the Bradford-based occupational Health and Safety specialists, are backing Ilkley in this by providing invaluable financial sponsorship for the programme. This sponsorship combined with Performance status LTA funding will enable the club to operate a dedicated performance squad alongside the extensive tennis development programme that is already in place.

Martin Penny, Managing Director of OHS who also sponsor the club's annual open tennis tournament, is delighted to support the club in their quest to produce the stars of the future.

Steve McLaughlin, Yorkshire County Performance Officer, is equally delighted that Ilkley are now performance accredited. He said: "The coaching team, management and committees at Ilkley are to be congratulated on the hard work that has gone into achieving performance status. British tennis can look forward to a healthy future as the results of the LTA's performance plan come to fruition.

With around 600 junior members and a history of producing many county champions, Ilkley is well placed to take tennis to the next level. The specially selected squad of performance juniors at Ilkley will benefit from intensive individual and group coaching, fitness specialist back up, and coach support at tournaments.

The club itself is demonstrating its commitment to performance tennis by allocating considerable court time to the programme. The cost of producing top class tennis players has been well documented, the financial burden usually falling on parents. While parents of Ilkley's potential stars will still be required to make a financial commitment, the LTA funding, OHS sponsorship, and club subsidies will combine to make a valuable contribution.

Ilkley General Manager Billy Kerr said: "The programme is already underway, and the new performance culture at Ilkley is already proving to be a breeding ground for emerging British talent. Mini tennis competition is already highlighting talented five and six-year-olds and as they join the performance set up, we look forward to seeing what the results will be in a few years time".