Tennis Summer Camp in the UK for Teenagers: Nike Tennis and Tennis Academy Options, Ages and Costs
Parents who search for a tennis summer camp UK teenagers can genuinely benefit from usually want two things at once: serious coaching that moves their child's game forward, and a safe, well-run residential week in England. This guide explains the two tennis routes we offer — the Nike Tennis camp and the English + Tennis Academy — who each one suits, what they cost per week, and the one detail families most often miss before booking.
That detail is playing standard. One option below is for experienced players only, and sending a beginner to it would waste your money and your child's week. Be honest about where your teenager's game is now — the right match matters more than the famous name on the gate.
What a tennis summer camp in the UK for teenagers involves
A residential tennis summer camp in the UK for teenagers is a one- or two-week stay at a boarding school campus, built around daily tennis coaching. At the Nike camps described below, coaching runs to up to 24 hours per week, players are assessed on arrival and grouped by age and ability, and the week ends with a tournament and an awards night. Around the tennis there is full boarding life: meals in the school dining hall, evening activities, excursions and staff living in the boarding houses.
Most families choose between two shapes of week. A total-sport week puts almost every waking hour into training, workshops and recovery. A sport-plus-English week swaps some of that time for classroom English — at Nike, 13 hours of lessons per week, taught through sport itself using the CLIL approach, so vocabulary is learned through tactics and match analysis rather than a textbook alone. Neither is better; it depends on whether this summer's priority is the game, the English, or both.
The two tennis routes on our site, side by side
We offer two distinct tennis products, and they are not the same course at two prices. The Nike Tennis camp is a specialist sports camp for players aged 10 to 17 who already play to a good standard (note that Nike's own range starts at 10, so its youngest players are pre-teens). The English + Tennis Academy, for ages 11 to 17, sits in our English PLUS range: it combines English study with academy tennis coaching, which suits a teenager whose summer needs to deliver language progress as well as time on court.
| Option | Ages | Best for | Playing level | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nike Tennis (at Radley College) | 10–17 | Experienced players who want maximum coaching hours | Experienced players only — see below | £2,150 per week |
| English + Tennis Academy | 11–17 | Teenagers combining English lessons with academy tennis | Ask us to confirm the right level for your child | Please ask us for the current fee — see the costs section |
Full details of the Nike programme are on our Nike Sports Summer Camps page. The sections below explain how each route works in practice, so you can judge the fit before you enquire.
Nike Tennis: a camp for experienced players only
This is the point on which we will not soften the wording: the Nike Tennis Camp at Radley College is listed for experienced players aged 10 to 17. It is not a beginner-friendly introduction to tennis, and it is not the place for a teenager who plays occasionally at school and fancies trying a sports camp. Players are grouped by age and ability after assessment, training groups average one coach to six players (a 1:6 ratio), and the programme is built on four pillars — technical, tactical, physical and mental — with two training sessions a day. A player who is out of their depth in that environment will feel it by the second morning.
For the right player, that intensity is exactly the appeal. If your teenager plays regularly at a club, competes in local events, or trains with a coach at home, this is the route designed for them. If they are still developing, the Tennis Academy route below — or one more season of club tennis first — is the honest recommendation. The LTA's junior competition pages describe how junior age-group competition is structured in Britain, which can help you place your child's current level in context.
English + Tennis Academy (ages 11 to 17)
The English + Tennis Academy appears in our English PLUS menu for ages 11 to 17. Where the Nike camp is a sports camp that happens to be in England, the Academy is an English course with a serious tennis strand: students build their language skills in class and train on court as part of the same residential programme. For many international families this is the more natural fit — a teenager who needs English progress for school, and who plays tennis well enough to want proper coaching rather than an afternoon activity, gets both in one week.
One honest note on price. We do not publish a per-week figure for the Tennis Academy here, because we could not verify a current one on the Academy's own course page when this article was written — and we will not borrow the Nike price and present the two as if they cost the same, because they are different products. Ask us for the current Academy fee when you enquire, and we will confirm it in writing before you commit to anything.
Venues and courts: Radley, Bradfield and Charterhouse
The Nike Sports Summer Camps are based at three boarding schools near London: Charterhouse School in Surrey, Radley College near Oxford and Bradfield College near Reading. The Tennis Camp itself is listed at Radley College, where tennis campers train on the school's brand-new poraflex acrylic courts; Radley is about ten minutes from Oxford and an hour from London, with single-occupancy bedrooms and shared bathrooms.
Bradfield College, about an hour from central London, has an LTA approved tennis centre with three high-performance Plexipave acrylic courts indoors, alongside outdoor clay and hard courts — all-weather provision that matters in an English summer. Charterhouse, the third Nike venue, has 24 tennis courts, although the camps listed there are football camps; the tennis training sits at Radley. At every venue, boarding houses are organised by sport and age, boys and girls are housed separately, and house staff stay in the accommodation with the players.
Total Sport or Sport + English: choosing the shape of the week
Every Nike camper chooses one of two options.
Total Sport is the full training load: up to 24 hours of professional coaching and games per week, plus 8 hours of sports workshops covering performance topics, and recovery activities such as yoga to help players manage two sessions a day. Sport + English keeps the coaching but replaces the workshops with 13 hours of English lessons per week, in classes averaging 12 students, taught by qualified teachers through sport-based projects and discussion.
A practical way to decide: if your teenager is coming mainly to train and already studies English intensively at home, Total Sport gives them the most court time. If this trip is also their main English immersion of the year — as it is for many of our families — Sport + English protects the language gains without taking them off court. Either way, remember that for tennis the experienced-players requirement applies before this choice is even reached.
Boarding life, food and welfare at camp
Tennis is only part of the week. Players receive three cooked meals a day plus an evening snack, with menus designed for young athletes; packed lunches are provided on excursion days. Evenings are programmed — swimming, team games, talent shows and a players' lounge — and each week includes one or two full-day excursions, to places such as London, Oxford or Windsor.
On welfare, a dedicated management and welfare team is on site day and night, medical staff are available daily, and sports therapists or physiotherapists are present during training in case of injury, with an on-call private doctor. Travel insurance and on-site medical care are listed among the camp essentials. Laundry is done once a week and bed linen is provided, although towels are not — one for the packing list. For parents sending a teenager abroad for the first time, these unglamorous details are the real product; ask about them on any camp you consider, not just ours.
Costs per week, transfers and what is included
Nike Tennis costs £2,150 per week, and camps last one or two weeks. All prices for these sports camps are per week — unlike most courses elsewhere on our site, which are priced per course — so check the unit whenever you compare. For context, the other Nike sports range from £1,995 per week (hockey) to £2,450 per week (golf), with tennis in the middle.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nike Tennis, 1 week | £2,150 per week | Up to 24 hours of coaching per week; Total Sport or Sport + English |
| Nike Tennis, 2 weeks | £4,300 in total | Two consecutive one-week camps |
| Airport transfer | £130 each way | Not included in the camp fee; £160 each way with the Unaccompanied Minor service |
| English + Tennis Academy | Ask us | Current fee to be confirmed in writing — it is not the same product as Nike Tennis |
The camp fee includes full-board accommodation on campus, the coaching programme, a weekly tournament and awards, evening activities, excursions, an exclusive Nike gift pack, an individual coaching review and a certificate. Airport transfers are the main extra, priced above; note that this £130 sports-camp rate differs from the £150 each way quoted for most other courses on our fees and dates page, because the sports camps run their own transfer arrangements — always go by the figure on the course page for the camp you are booking. Around £100 a week is plenty for pocket money. The sports camps do not appear in the fees page table, so for deposit and balance arrangements on a Nike booking, ask us and we will confirm the terms in writing rather than have you assume the standard deposit applies.
How to choose: a short checklist for parents
- Be honest about playing level first. Regular club player who competes? Nike Tennis at Radley is built for them. Keen but still developing? Look at the Tennis Academy route, and tell us their level so we can advise.
- Decide what the week is for. Maximum coaching (Total Sport), or coaching plus measurable English progress (Sport + English, or the Academy)?
- Compare like with like. Sports camps are priced per week; most academic and English courses on our site are priced per course.
- Check the extras. Transfers (£130 each way at the sports camps), pocket money, and anything not included should be in your budget from the start.
- Confirm in writing. Playing level expectations, the current Tennis Academy fee, and deposit terms — get each confirmed before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Can a beginner go to the Nike Tennis camp?
No — and we would rather say so plainly than take your booking. The Nike Tennis Camp at Radley College is for experienced players aged 10 to 17, training in ability groups at a 1:6 coach-to-player ratio. A beginner would struggle to keep up. Teenagers who are still developing their game should ask us about the English + Tennis Academy (ages 11 to 17) instead.
How much does a tennis summer camp in the UK cost per week?
Nike Tennis costs £2,150 per week for a one- or two-week camp, including full-board accommodation, up to 24 hours of coaching per week, excursions and evening activities. Airport transfers are extra at £130 each way (£160 with the Unaccompanied Minor service). The English + Tennis Academy is a different product and its current fee is confirmed on enquiry.
What is the difference between Total Sport and Sport + English?
Total Sport combines up to 24 hours of coaching per week with 8 hours of sports workshops and recovery sessions. Sport + English keeps the coaching and replaces the workshops with 13 hours of English lessons per week, taught through sport in classes averaging 12 students.
Where is the Nike Tennis camp held?
At Radley College, near Oxford and about an hour from London, where campers use the school's new poraflex acrylic courts. The wider Nike programme also uses Charterhouse and Bradfield — Bradfield has an LTA approved tennis centre — but the Tennis Camp itself is listed at Radley.
What is included in the camp fee?
Full-board on-campus accommodation, the coaching programme, a weekly tournament and awards night, evening activities, one or two full-day excursions a week, a Nike gift pack, an individual coaching review and a certificate, plus travel insurance and on-site medical care as listed in the camp essentials. Transfers, pocket money and towels are the things to plan separately.
Ask us which tennis route fits your teenager
Tell us your teenager's age, how long they have played and at what level, and whether English progress matters as much as tennis this summer — we will point you to the right route, confirm the current Tennis Academy fee and the booking terms in writing, and tell you honestly if neither option fits yet. You can complete the booking form, or contact us at info@summerschool-uk.com or on +44 (0)7414 936818.
Residential summer courses at leading UK schools and universities.