Serving up solutions for local tennis - Azar determined to help grow the sport in Jamaica

When John Azar was elected as president of Tennis Jamaica in early May of this year, it was the culmination of a four-year campaign challenging the organisation’s leadership and practices.

Four months since then, he has been spearheading the effort to not only change the outlook of the sport in Jamaica, but settings goals that will hopefully yield tangible success.

In speaking with The Gleaner, Azar said that there has already been a change in the way that that sport is being perceived, thanks to changes that his administration have made since the installation of the executive two months prior.

“It’s certainly been rewarding, and the feedback has been very positive from stakeholders in the sport. They are happy with the direction we’re going. The board is unified. The tennis fraternity is unified. I think the tennis fraternity is excited about a lot of the changes and initiatives that we are putting in,” Azar said.

“The success or failure of this administration will not be dependent on any one person. We are having some challenges, but it has been a rewarding four months. People are immediately understanding and recognising that we are different, and the direction that we are taking the sport is different to perhaps the direction it was going for the past couple years,” he added.

One of those changes was the revamp of the junior tournament structure, which is the plan to host more than one per year in order to foster better youth development. The 2019 Tennis Tournament series, which will be held in late September, is a big part of that plan. The title sponsor for the tournament is KingAlarm of which Azar is managing director.

Brand Importance

Azar saw the importance to take the initiative in having his brand aligned with the sport that he loves.

“I felt that it is important, seeing that KingAlarm was my company, to lead from the front in that regard, in the sense that if I’m coming to you to solicit sponsorship or speaking about the good alignment between your brand and mine and the sport, I think that it’s important that I [demonstrate] that as relating to my personal brand, which is KingAlarm,” he explained.

The administration has also begun addressing the problems that brought on the change in administration, which range across fundraising, engagement improved communication and transparency among members as well as a drive to increase the overall membership.

Azar has already seen a response in fundraising efforts with additional sponsors coming on board for the tournament and also partnering with Tennis Jamaica for 2020. There have also been talks with the Jamaica Olympic Association and the International Tennis Federation. He hopes that the feedback will attract more potential partners.

Despite the improvements that he has seen in a relatively short period, Azar and his administration are not intent in being comfortable with what has been done so far.

“While I would never say that we are where we want to be or get complacent in our excercise, I would say thank God we are certainly on the right path, and I think that we intend to continue the upward trajectory of the sport, create an environment of excellence, and hopefully go back to a time in the past where we were developing champions and world- beaters,” Azar stated.