Add another major accomplishment to the curriculum vitae of the Professional Road Tennis Association (PRTA) of Barbados.
Less than a month after securing a deal with international athletic apparel and casual wear company PlusOne, chief executive officer of PRTA, Dale Clarke, has revealed that they have entered into a contract with regional media house Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
The deal will see future PRTA events being streamed live throughout the region via CMC’s channels.
With the just concluded final of the United Insurance Clash Of The Titans Road Tennis Competition, which was hosted by the PRTA, having also been carried live on CMC, Clarke believes that this new relationship will give the sport some much needed international exposure.
He said that with the PRTA planning to embark on an extensive road tennis programme in the region next year, it was decided that it would be better to fast-track the preparation and give people around the Caribbean a chance to see the sport.
“This is another good opportunity for road tennis. CMC broadcasts reach hundreds of thousands of people not only in the Caribbean but also as far as Canada and the United States,” Clarke told WEEKEND SPORT yesterday.
He added that the two parties would soon be signing a memorandum of understanding.
“If we are planning to make a strong push to promote the sport in the Caribbean, we thought it would only make sense to give people the opportunity to see it being played at the highest level.”
Clarke said the association would be aggressively targeting all the Caribbean islands as well as South America.
The CEO added he had already been contacted by people from Suriname who expressed interest in bringing road tennis there.
Clarke said that one of his biggest goals was to give road tennis players an opportunity to earn a living from their skills.
“One of my biggest aims is to create an industry. Once that is established, it would give the older players the chance to make a living from road tennis.
“And it wouldn’t necessarily have to come from playing in tournaments, but also from going out there and coaching,” he added.
“There are opportunities out there to set up coaching clinics and academies around the world.”
Clarke said the PRTA would also be releasing a “how to play video” to help with the sport’s development.
