Twenty lucky Huddle participants were given the opportunity of a lifetime after being invited by Tennis Australia to take part in a ‘Kids on Court’ experience at the Australian Open last Wednesday.

The youngsters, who regularly attend The Huddle’s Monday night sports program in Flemington, played mini-challenge Hot Shots games on Margaret Court Arena.

Bridget Barker, The Huddle’s sport and recreation coordinator, accompanied the kids to Melbourne Park and said it was a memorable experience for those involved.

“The kids got decked out with a Hot Shots T-shirt and a hat. Then we were able to go in underneath Margaret Court Arena and come out through the race and have a hit on court,” Barker told NMFC.com.au.

“Whilst that happened, the announcer was introducing The Huddle and speaking about what we do.”

After the mini-tennis activities, the youngsters formed a guard of honour for players Julia Goerges and Klara Koukalova ahead of their second-round match, while another lucky participant tossed the coin.

The kids spent the rest of the afternoon watching plenty of live tennis action and joined in a wide array of activities around Melbourne Park.

The Monday night sports program encourages kids to try a variety of sports such as tennis, AFL, cricket, soccer and hockey over the course of the year.

The clinic offers the participants a chance to learn and develop new skills under the supervision of experienced coaches.

“In term three, we had a six-week tennis program that was facilitated through Tennis Victoria, and a coach from the local Royal Park Tennis Club came down and took the six weeks,” Barker said.

“Getting other state sporting bodies involved means the kids are learning the skills from the people who know it the best.”

For those eager to extend their involvement in a particular sport, the program helps provide a pathway and inspires the youngsters to join their local sporting clubs.

“There’s one boy, Andrew, who was pretty keen on tennis back in September and having come to the Australian Open he said to me, ‘I really want to join the local club,’” Barker said.

“My role from that point onwards is that if they’re interested in playing then I can help them to join their local team.”