By JONATHAN BURROWS

A GROUP of Bahamian tennis coaches and former top players staged a peaceful protest outside the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) headquarters on Saturday, calling for greater transparency, improved communication and accountability, along with democracy within the federation.

The protesters, dressed in all black, stood united in their concerns about the current administration’s handling of the sport and the facilities. 

Former players and coaches voiced frustrations about what they described as a lack of openness in decision-making and dwindling confidence in the leadership of the association.

Among the demonstrators was veteran tennis coach Marvin Rolle, who has been involved in the sport and the federation for more than four decades and also signalled his interest in running for the presidency of the BLTA.

“On a Saturday no kids are here, there are only a few kids coming through the programme. Where are the rest of the kids that need to come through this programme? We all came through this and all we want is for tennis to be better in The Bahamas,” Rolle said. 

Also present was Philip Major, a highly respected coach who was once one of the country’s top junior and senior tennis players.

“The biggest concern for me is communication, for myself I’ve been communicating with persons that are a part of the current board and I have mentioned to them on many occasions that I am not receiving any information and now I’ve been blocked on all social media platforms,” Major noted. “I would like to see more assistance with our elite players and also junior programmes where you cannot only just be a beginner but transition to an advanced player. The BLTA really lacks being able to assist players who are trying to transition from one level to the next, this is a huge hole for me with the BLTA and that should raise a lot of concerns when it comes to growing a community,” he added

Representing the out islands was Kevaughn Ferguson, a coach and former player in Harbour Island, who highlighted the challenges faced by athletes outside New Providence.

“I’m concerned about the state of tennis right now as a coach trying to develop young players and getting them a chance to get scholarships and to go off to school. I just want to give them a great future and it’s concerning to me that they don’t have the same resources or same backing that we had back in the day, especially coming from the islands,” he said 

Adding a voice of experience from within the federation’s inner workings was a former BLTA secretary, Barbara Carey, who stressed the importance of administrative accountability.

“I am a past secretary of the BLTA and right now I am in awe over the way that his association has been run over the past five years. The president was elected, there has not been an election since, there has not been accountability of the financials or the membership list,” Carey said.

Organisers made it clear that this was only the beginning of their campaign to ensure better governance in Bahamian tennis. 

Other concerns included the repair of courts that have been worn down to the point of being unplayable for years and also clear operating hours and a call for some type of democracy shown by board members as protesters call it a “current dictatorship.” 

The message from Saturday’s protest was unmistakable as coaches, players and former administrators want a federation that reflects the values of open communication and unity with players and coaches.