The LTA have today announced that they will be linking with Girlguiding on a new project to help engage more young women and girls in tennis.

The new pilot project will see young female leaders trained to deliver tennis sessions aimed at inspiring more women and girls to get involved with the sport.

Judy Murray will lead the LTA She Rallies coaching workshop that will equip 'Rangers', girls aged 14-18 in Girlguiding, with the leadership and coaching skills needed to help deliver tennis sessions to younger girls in the Rainbow and Brownie groups.

The first workshop will take place in Bristol on May 2 with plans to introduce further training days over the summer in Herford, Birmingham, Eastbourne, Ilkley and Edinburgh.

She Rallies is the LTA's programme designed to encourage more women to become tennis coaches and, therefore, inspire young girls to get involved with the sport. The new She Rallies workshop with Girlguides will build on the successful campaign that has already helped inspire over 20,000 girls to take up tennis.

LTA's She Rallies programme was launched in 2017 in partnership with Judy Murray and has been working to create more opportunities for females in tennis. Since the launch, 60 Ambassadors have been trained to support the 2,000 Community Activators that now deliver tennis sessions to young girls.

The collaboration with the Girlguiding community comes after the Girlguiding's Girls' Attitudes survey found that almost half of girls aged 11-21 want to see more representation of women in sport. Girlguiding's Future Girl manifesto, which was developed with 76,000 girls and young women, found that girls want women in sport to be equally celebrated as men in sport.

Angela Salt is the CEO of Girlguiding and spoke about the importance of using sport to build the confidence of young girls.

"LTA and Girlguiding share a common goal: to inspire girls and build their confidence in a space that feels fun and adventurous. Sport is a fantastic way to do this. So we’re delighted to join forces to offer girls more opportunities to build their confidence and leadership skills through tennis. Together, we want to build the confidence of girls today, to be the leaders of tomorrow," she said.

Judy Murray will lead the inaugural She Rallies Girlguiding workshop this May and is looking to build on the already successful scheme.

"I’m really looking forward to meeting some fantastic young women through this project and equipping them with the skills to help us engage more women and girls in tennis. The LTA She Rallies programme has already had success in doing this, but there is more we can do and new initiatives like this are a great addition," said Murray.

"It is crucial that we continue to show young women and girls that they can be leaders in whatever their chosen profession. Tennis has historically led the way for equality in sport in terms of playing, but we want to encourage more young women into positions of leadership in tennis, so I’m pleased to be working with the LTA and Girlguiding on such an exciting project.”

The announcement of this pilot project comes ahead of International Women's Day for which the LTA will be celebrating the pioneering history of women's tennis.