Special Interest Tennis

Special Interest Tennis program entry requirements

Traditionally to gain entry to the special interest program, prospective students have had to have an Australian tennis ranking (ATR) for boys of 2000 or less and for girls 1000 or less. As I am sure you are aware, this system has been largely replaced by the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system and hence applicants will need to provide their current singles and double UTR on their application form.

This ranking indicates that students are playing at a competitive level and have the necessary skills to successfully complete squad drilling.

As an academic first high school, students intending to gain entry to Marryatville High School via the special interest program will also need to do the following:

• have a demonstrated commitment to engaging with the academic program from which they come – hence an applicant’s last two academic reports are required
• provide a letter of recommendation from their school principal or delegate that speaks to their character strengths
• be a willingness to be a role model for the Marryatville High School community
• provide a nominated tennis referee such as a private coach or club president

Applications for Year 7 2025

As the Special Interest Tennis Program allow students to combine their studies with a pursuit of tennis excellence, we will assess prospective applicants for the program from 2024 onwards in the following way:

First and foremost, parents or caregivers must complete the Special Interest Tennis Application Form and in doing so, provide an Australian Tennis Ranking or current Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) for both singles and doubles.

To compliment these ratings, parents or caregivers for each student will also need to provide:

• video footage of their applicant’s ability to drill on both the forehand and backhand side, as well as to serve, volley and complete an overhead smash. The footage must also demonstrate an applicant’s ability to maintain a rally during competitive play (it is most beneficial to be able to track the ball all the way up and down the court)
• if an applicant’s UTR is high enough, for example 4.5+ for a Year 7 applicant we may look to move to an on-court trial without the video footage being necessary – please contact the school if you think this may apply.
• footage can be sent as a link (such as youtube), via email to mhs.info701@schools.sa.edu.au in a series of files, attached to the application form, or if this is not possible, placed on a USB and delivered to our front office at 170 Kensington Road Marryatville SA 5068
• written permission for the school to share this footage with our professional coaches for analysis.
• this footage will be used to decide whether to proceed with an on-court trial at the school or in the case of International students whether they automatically meet the criteria for entry.

Once it has been established that we will proceed with an on-court trial, we will then require:

• an applicant’s two most recent school reports.
• a tennis referee, who will either write a reference or be willing to speak with us and again, this will require your permission for us to do so
• a primary school academic/character reference from a member of the administration that speaks to your applicant’s commitment to his or her studies and the school in general

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with the school or our Special Interest Tennis Coordinator, Mr Tony Byles tony.byles347@schools.sa.edu.au

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Student Expectations

All students enrolled in the special interest tennis program are expected to compete in Saturday morning tennis competitions for Marryatville High School during terms 1 and 4 and this involvement constitutes a part of their term assessment.

Students are expected to purchase the special interest tennis uniform, specifically, a Marryatville High School tennis shirt and jacket, as well as navy blue shorts and tracksuit pants.

For information about Tennis SA visit: www.tennis.com.au

Students who do not meet the Australian tennis rankings criteria but wish to be considered for entry into the program must meet the following: