Ask anyone who played sport as a child what it gave them and they will rarely talk about trophies. They talk about friendships, about the day something finally clicked, about feeling part of something. Sport, at its best, is where a child learns she is capable of more than she thought. Every girl deserves that feeling. Not just the naturally sporty ones, not just the ones whose families already play. Every girl.
That belief is the reason Ace & Grace exists.
It started with one girl and one court
Ace & Grace began with Charlotte. She loved being on court. What she did not love was kit that never quite fit the way she wanted to play, or feel. The pieces made for girls were either shrunken-down adult kit or designed without a girl in mind at all. So her mum, Becky, set out to make something better. A dress she could move in, twirl in between points and feel completely herself wearing, on and off the court.
That dress became the Charlotte Dress. The Charlotte Dress became Ace & Grace. But the idea underneath it was always bigger than clothing.
Why belonging matters
Confidence is quietly contagious. When a girl feels good in what she wears, she stands a little taller, tries a little harder and worries a little less about getting it wrong. When she feels out of place, the opposite happens. She hangs back. She makes herself smaller. And too often she steps away from sport altogether, just at the age when it could do her the most good.
We think how a girl feels on court is not a small thing or a nice-to-have. It is the thing that decides whether she keeps playing. Confidence, comfort and a sense of belonging are not extras. They are the whole point.
What the game gives her
Tennis asks a girl to try, to miss, to adjust and to try again, all on her own two feet. It teaches her to lose with grace and to win without gloating, to read a situation and to keep going when stopping would be easier. These are not small lessons, and they last long after the final point. A racket in her hand at six can become resilience she carries at sixteen, and a quiet confidence that has very little to do with tennis at all. That is what is really on offer when a girl steps onto a court, and it is why we care so much about getting her there.
Small things, big difference
You see it in the little moments. A girl who would hang back in borrowed, ill-fitting kit walks on without a second thought in something that fits and feels like hers. A child who was nervous at the start of a session is the last one to leave by the end. The right kit will never make a champion on its own. But feeling comfortable and confident is so often what keeps a girl coming back, lesson after lesson, until the game becomes part of who she is.
Introducing the First Serve
Belonging should not depend on whether tennis is already part of family life. Plenty of girls will never pick up a racket simply because the opportunity never reaches them. We wanted to do something about that.
The First Serve is our way of opening up the court. each year we will sponsor one primary school, providing the equipment and a coaching session for Years 1 and 2. A joyful first taste of sport, teamwork and self-belief, for girls who might otherwise never get the chance. The idea is simple, and the moment can be the start of something. Because a first serve really can change everything.
How you can be part of it
We are looking for our next school right now, and this is where you come in.
- If you would love to bring tennis to the girls at your child's school, tell us about it. You can apply through our First Serve page in a couple of minutes.
- Share the campaign with a teacher, a head of PE or a parent who would care about it. A single introduction can open a door.
- Every Ace & Grace order helps make the next First Serve possible, so simply being part of this community supports the cause.
This is just the beginning
We are at the very start of our journey, and it means everything to have you with us. There is so much still to come, new pieces, new stories and, we hope, many more schools and many more girls discovering that the court was made for them too.
Thank you for being part of it. Here is to every first serve, and to every girl who deserves her place on court.
Discover the First Serve and nominate a school here
