Sixteen-year-old British-Nigerian tennis player Tahlia Ayandare on Tuesday brought smiles to the faces of young players at the Country Club, Ikeja, as she donated dozens of tennis shoes to participants of the ongoing ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors (J30 Lagos).
The initiative, carried out under her charity project, “Pay It Forward,” seeks to provide young African players with access to proper tennis footwear—an item many struggle to afford. The brief but emotional presentation was witnessed by players, parents, and coaches attending the international junior event.
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Ayandare, who competes on the ITF circuit, said the idea for Pay It Forward began earlier this year after an eye-opening experience in Kenya.
“I started the charity or initiative called Pay It Forward,” she told PREMIUM TIMES. “This started when I was in an ITF in Kenya in July, and I saw that many children were having to buy used shoes. Even then, it was still expensive, so some kids didn’t get to have proper shoes to play.”
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Moved by the experience, the London-based player returned to England and launched a GoFundMe campaign, calling on friends and families to donate new and gently used tennis shoes. “We bought some new shoes and brought the old shoes to Kenya and Nigeria,” she said. “We gave them away, and it’s been really successful and exciting. I hope to inspire many other young children and tennis players to do the same and to just help out the community.”
Tennis journey
Ayandare, who started playing tennis at the age of three, said seeing the smiles of the young players in Lagos made every effort worthwhile. “It makes the whole thing worth it and makes me just want to do more and encourage others to do more,” she said. “Seeing the real benefit of Pay It Forward is really, really encouraging.”
Ms Ayandare (Tahlia’s mum), who accompanied her to Lagos after a similar outreach in Kenya, described the project as a humbling experience and a lesson in empathy for her daughter.
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“She was surprised to find that some players did not have good shoes,” Ms Ayandare said. “It was a wake-up call to see how privileged she is back in England. So she came up with the idea, raised funds, got donations, and we decided to support her fully.”
More than shoes
Ms Ayandare said the goal of Pay It Forward goes beyond providing shoes. It is about inspiring others to do their part, no matter how small.
“If a 16-year-old is coming up with this idea, it means others around the world can do the same,” she said. “If everybody does their little bit, we’ll be able to bridge the gap.”
She added that while the initiative may seem like “a drop in the ocean,” its true impact lies in its ripple effect. “What she’s done, I believe, will wake up the desire in others. It’s not just about what Tahlia is doing today, but what others can be inspired to do tomorrow,” she said.
The family hopes to expand the project to other African countries in the coming year.
“This is drop one or drop two,” Ms Ayandare explained. “She wants to do many more, and hopefully, this inspires others to join in.”
Tahlia Ayandare, who names Serena Williams as her role model, said she is now rediscovering her love for tennis after a brief break.
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“I stopped for a while when I went to boarding school, but I’ve come back to it in the past year and I’m really enjoying it,” she said. “Tennis is hard, and if it wasn’t hard, everyone would be doing it. My advice is to never give up and just keep trying.”
As the young athlete continues to compete on the junior tour, her acts of generosity have already made a lasting mark on the courts of Africa—one pair of shoes at a time.
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