Mission: Inspire children to get active and learn life lessons by playing sport and having fun.
We’re a Community Interest Company driven to make the World a better place through sport - primarily tennis and pickleball.
What We Do
We provide schools with expertise, coaches and equipment so they can launch successful and sustainable ongoing sports programmes. Programmes that enrich lives.
Our focus is on tennis and pickleball and we look to link the schools we work with to local clubs.
We are driven to help children experience the amazing buzz that playing sport and exercising can bring. And it is something our nation’s children need! Indeed, in Dec 2021, Sport England released what it called ‘sobering and stark’ data that showed four million children aged between 5 and 16 failed to meet minimum recommended activity levels. The picture in 2024 remains similar.
Lord Willis, the Chair of the House of Lord’s Sport and Recreation Committee said: ‘The pandemic has made abundantly clear the pressing need to get the Country fitter and more active. However, participation in sport and recreation is flat-lining. Something needs to change and now is the time to do it.’
We agree with Lord Willis, we are driven to get children fit, get children active and show them what an amazing time they can have playing sport.
It’s exactly what we have done with schools like John of Rolleston - who received the National Runner-Up Award in the School of the Year category in the LTA Awards. In the pic , the school and We Say Play’s Rob Salmon received the award from Kate Griffiths MP and Kate King from the LTA.
Who We Are
Hugo Lock
For Hugo, We Say Play is a combination of two vital aspects of what life is about- helping those in need and...tennis!
A former tennis coach himself, Hugo now works for the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), implementing responsible business and charitable giving strategies for clients, helping them support the communities and causes they care about.
Both wonderful and challenging times on court helped mould who is he today. He is dedicated to enabling similar experiences for other young people across the country.
Rob Salmon
Rob Salmon passionately believes tennis can bring you happiness, life skills & friendship. Rob started playing as a junior in Cumbria and went on to play for Cumbria and Derbyshire as a junior before heading to America to play University tennis.
He ended up working in the World of sports marketing for or alongside brands such as Premier League, UEFA NM, Samsung and Dunlop / Slazenger and throughout tennis was a constant positive companion.
In 2020, Rob fulfilled an ambition of becoming a full time tennis coach - he loves introducing children to the game of tennis!
As well as coaching in schools, Rob coaches at Church Broughton tennis club in Derbyshire and is captain of two County junior teams. Rob hosts the My Tennis Journey podcast which brings compelling tennis stories to life - the podcast has appeared in tennis podcast charts around the World. Find out about the My Tennis Journey podcast here
Anne and John Allen
John and Anne Allen are passionate about sport and the benefits it gives to health and well-being, character development and the chance to create lifelong friendships.
They are tennis parents who have experienced the full journey with their daughter, from starting on park courts at the age of 4 through to full time tennis in the US.
Through We Say Play they aim to help introduce more children to tennis and the amazing opportunities and life skills it brings.
