Improving the retention of women and girls in tennis

Jenna Fowlie

School of Health Sciences and Psychology, Faculty of Health

Drop out in sub-elite junior female tennis players in Australia.

Like all national sports bodies, Tennis Australia is keen to ensure that as many people as possible play their sport over their lifespan. This means both attracting people to play tennis but also retaining them. Jenna’s research is important as Tennis Australia is very interested in understanding what they can do to help improve retention for females in tournaments. With her background study at FedUni completing a Bachelor of Education (Physical Education), she has the perfect knowledge and skills to tackle this research project.

Jenna chose to undertake her PhD studies at FedUni due to her familiarity with the university after her undergraduate degree. “My supervisors are quite well-known in the sport participation field and they provide me with the best support to complete my PhD.”

Jenna’s advice to any younger girls/women contemplating undertaking postgraduate research studies is to find an area that they are passionate about. “It makes the whole experience incredibly enjoyable if you are doing something you want to do.”