TennisIsLife is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that has been quietly shipping tennis equipment from the UK and Europe to children in Africa since 2018. This is the story, the model, and the people behind it.
Programme
Lagos · Dar es Salaam · Kigali
Chapter 01 · The dream
The dream started in 2018, when our founder collected used racquets from members of CASSAC LTC in Croydon and took them down to the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club — for the use of the wheelchair tennis team and others struggling to have decent equipment.
That single trip showed something simple: kit that’s collecting dust in a UK garage can completely change what’s possible on a court in Tanzania. Years later, we have built a small but steady programme around that idea.
“The platform of tennis can give a child structure, milestones and a route forward. Our job is just to put the racquet in their hand.”
What we stand for
Three statements that define every decision the trustees take.
Vision
Open the platform of tennis to children from less-privileged backgrounds — kids with little to no access to social-climbing opportunities — and use the sport to keep them engaged, focused and growing.
Mission
Use tennis to give children a structured, positive alternative to potential vices — paired with mentorship, friendly competition, and pathways to keep developing.
Scope
Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda are our launch geographies, building on relationships our trustees already have on the ground. More countries follow as the model proves out.
Where we are
What's complete, what's in motion, and what's queued up next. We update this snapshot as the programme evolves.
Web domain secured
tennisislife.co.uk reserved and the public site brought live.
Trustees kick-off completed
Six trustees onboarded across the UK, Switzerland, Tanzania and Nigeria.
First equipment crates shipped
Racquets, bags and shoes from CASSAC LTC, Croydon and Zurich landed in Dar es Salaam.
Venue partner sign-up
Memoranda of understanding under way with DSM Gymkhana, Lagos Country Club, TPPA and Kigali partners.
Volunteers and coach enrolment
Local coaches being onboarded with stipends across the launch geographies.
UK collection outreach
Active drives running through South Croydon Sports Club and CASSAC.
Programme launch event
Official launch once the venue and coach onboarding completes across all three countries.
First annual impact report
Published transparently — sessions delivered, equipment shipped, costs and learnings.
Charity Commission review
Evaluating formal charity registration as the programme scales.
How we are funded
We are honest about the model — there is no large public fundraising machine behind us yet. The programme runs because a small group of people decided to pay for it themselves and roped in friends and partners along the way.
Core programme costs — shipping, equipment refurbishment, coach stipends — are funded by Planettalk Limited and our founder, with support from friends of the business.
Trustees support in any way they choose — advisory, materials, logistics, networks, administrative — but funding is not a precondition of joining the panel.
Local coaches in Lagos, Dar es Salaam and Kigali receive stipends so they can dedicate quality time to the programme without it costing them.
Day-to-day programme management is run by a member of Planettalk's operations team, supported by volunteers and the trustee panel.
Trustees
Six people across three continents, with deep tennis and business networks.
Founding Trustee · MD/CEO, Planettalk Limited
London, UK
Founder of TennisIsLife and managing director of Planettalk Limited. Leads strategy, fundraising and overall direction of the charity.
Trustee · Business Development & Investor
Zurich, Switzerland
Business development professional, start-up investor and avid tennis player. Drives equipment collection drives across continental Europe — over thirty racquets, bags and shoes secured in Zurich alone.
Trustee · IT Professional
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
IT professional and long-term Captain at DSM Gymkhana Club. Champions developmental tennis for the disabled and young people, and coordinates the Dar es Salaam programme.
Trustee · Marketing & Education Investor
Lagos, Nigeria
Marketing professional and education investor. President of the Tennis Players Parents Association (TPPA) in Nigeria and former Tennis Captain at the Lagos Country Club.
Trustee · Entrepreneur & Storage Partner
Croydon, UK
Entrepreneur and Chairman of the South Croydon Sports Club Tennis Section. Provides UK storage and logistics support for shipping equipment to our African partners.
Programme Manager · Operations, Planettalk Limited
London, UK
Operations Manager at Planettalk Limited, doubling as programme manager for the charity. Coordinates collections, shipping, partner relationships and on-the-ground reporting.
Join us
Whether you can spare a racquet, run a UK collection drive, coach an hour a week, or open doors with logistics partners — we will find the right fit.