‘A One-Off Opportunity’: Former Junior Tennis Champion Announces Candidacy For Maltese Federation President
Tennis in Malta has been enjoying newfound interest and coverage in the past years thanks to some promising names making waves abroad… but back at home, some feel “radical change” is needed to shake things up. That’s where an upcoming election of the Malta Tennis Federation comes in.
Lovin Malta met up with Marc Gingell Littlejohn, a consultant surgeon and former local junior champion who is contesting the Presidency of the forthcoming election of the MTF.
The election, to be held next week, will not only see the race for a new President, but also for all other roles in the executive. Simon Fiorini Lowell, Kenneth Mayo and Jankarl Farrugia, all experienced sportspersons, are contesting the roles of Deputy President, Development Officer and Secretary General respectively.
Never have the votes been cast by both tennis and padel affiliated clubs, and that’s where the potential for this major change arises.
“This is a one-off opportunity to instigate a radical change which will deliver its promises and propel both sports to new heights,” Dr Littlejohn told Lovin Malta. “For the first time in 16 years, there is a chance for a long-awaited reform.”
And while he did say he appreciated the work done by the present committee, the contesting Presidential candidate said he believes that there is a strong need for change which will set the path for an inspiring new era for clubs and athletes.
The manifesto of the upcoming team was released earlier this week and highlights the 10 visions aimed at the extensive promotion of the sport.
“We want to push both sports in schools and make tennis and padel accessible to everyone regardless of age and skill level,” Dr Littlejohn continued. “We want to be a Federation whom our athletes and clubs showcase with pride.”
The new manifesto emphasises the importance on training and educational programmes including a national coach for all athletes, increase in the number of tournaments and amongst others, strong financial support.
“We will create a federation for future generations with safeguarding, transparency and integrity at the forefront of our mission to achieve excellence,” the candidate continued. He also emphasised that state of the art facilities are important but mean nothing without robust national training programmes, while adding that his important contacts within the International Tennis Federation and Maltese Government Sports Authorities will be instrumental to his leadership role in implementing a new era for the Malta Tennis Federation.
What do you make of this potential new future for Maltese tennis? Sound off in the comments and tag someone who needs to check this out!
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