Tennis Pantry info and instructions

• The Tennis Pantry is a courtside equipment storage receptacle that eliminates the need to own or purchase equipment to try tennis.
• The Tennis Pantry provides immediate access to tennis and encourages spontaneous recreational play.
• Simply open the Tennis Pantry lid, borrow equipment to enjoy playing, and return equipment to share the opportunity with others!
• Installed at ground level, the Tennis Pantry is easy to use and accessible to almost everyone, including families, youth, disabled, and wheelchairs users.
• When the Tennis Pantry is equipped with shorter rackets and lower compression red and orange balls, tennis to be enjoyed by everyone on any court. People of all ages and abilities can experience success while having fun together.
• The Tennis Pantry can go from box to courtside in less than an hour! Assemble in 20 minutes. Apply decals in 15 minutes. Install in 10 minutes. Requiring only two hands and three simple hand tools, the technical demands are so low that almost anyone can participate!

Below are five ways to win with a Tennis Pantry!

• Connect with people who use the Tennis Pantry by affixing local contact and tennis program information to the underside of the Tennis Pantry lid – the “Local Lid” – which measures 16.5” x 19.5”.
• Utilize the Tennis Pantry to prompt conversations about tennis facility maintenance, renewal, and revitalization, bringing new life to underutilized or forgotten courts.
• Identify a tennis facility with existing or potential tennis programs that a Tennis Pantry could help support as an equipment resource.
• Determine an area where increased tennis participation is promising, identify at the public tennis facility that best serves that area, and then seek approval to install a Tennis Pantry.
• Leverage the Tennis Pantry to educate your community about modified tennis equipment and play formats, for example, “Red Ball for All” and “Orange Ball for Everyone”.

Think of other local ways to win with a Tennis Pantry!

Collect used equipment

One way to supply equipment is by collecting used tennis racquets and balls through a “Pack the Pantry” or “Play It Forward” equipment donation drive with collection sites. Organizing a used equipment drive is also a great way to raise awareness of the Tennis Pantry while involving others, bringing community members, groups, organizations, and businesses together around a common cause.

Five Ideas for collection success

1.     Better together. Local partners can collaborate to organize used equipment donation drives and collection sites. Partners can include members of CTAs, NJTL Chapters, Parks & Recreation Departments, local schools and teams (i.e., high school, JTT, college, League), tennis and country clubs, tennis tournaments, leagues, and events, local businesses, as well as other groups and organizations.

2.     Service through collection. School-aged youth often need to complete service hours for honors, service, and community organizations. Participating in used equipment donation drives and managing collection sites is a great way for them to earn service hours.

3.     Large and small partners. Smaller communities with limited tennis participation could partner with larger communities with greater tennis participation so that equipment donation drives in the latter could help support and supply a Tennis Pantry in the former.

4.     Private sites for public access. Establish donation sites and install collection receptacles at private facilities and clubs so that members can donate used tennis equipment to support the Tennis Pantry in their community.

5.     Donations for discounts. At facilities and clubs with a pro shop, donating used equipment for the Tennis Pantry could result in a small discount toward the purchase of new tennis equipment.

Purchase new equipment

Another way to obtain tennis equipment is by purchasing it through a preferred vendor. More information is coming soon.  

The Tennis Pantry can be a tool to build local relationships by helping initiate conversations between individuals, groups, and businesses about working together to grow tennis. Below are six important community partners where the Tennis Pantry can be used to engage and collaborate to grow tennis.

Parks & Recreation Departments

Promoting Healthy Activity and Facility Use

Parks & Recreation departments are a key Tennis Pantry community partner. The Tennis Pantry can help facilitate park facility use and, by doing so, promote community health and fitness of all ages and abilities. In addition, Parks & Recreation Departments can use the Tennis Pantry to maximize the use of tennis courts that may be underutilized, promote department programming, and potentially increase revenue through clinic and camp registrations. 

The Tennis Pantry can be used as a resource for “Tennis in the Parks” events hosted in collaboration with local CTAs, NJTLs, schools, and other community and service organizations. These groups can reach out to key park facility contacts and gain approval to install a Tennis Pantry, which could be promoted through Parks & Recreation Department social media, on site signage, and internal communication channels. The Tennis Pantry can help Parks & Recreation Departments promote healthy activity and facility use.

Community Tennis Associations

Growing Tennis from the Ground Up

With a mission of growing local tennis by promoting access, health, and fitness for all ages and abilities, Community Tennis Associations (CTAs) are a major Tennis Panty community partner. Many CTAs are ideally positioned to help with Tennis Pantry monitoring and maintenance, ensuring they are in good working condition and properly stocked with equipment. CTAs could also help to organize events as well as equipment donations and purchases.

CTAs often know where tennis facilities are located and have a vested interest in the growth of community tennis. The Tennis Pantry can help generate more recreational play, increase the variety of participants, serve as an equipment resource to support events, clinics, and camps, and potentially increase tennis participation and program registration. The Tennis Pantry can help CTAs grow tennis from the ground up.

National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) Chapters

Providing Opportunity for Youth Development

The National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network features more than 250 nonprofit youth development organizations that offer free or low-cost tennis and education programming to over 135,000 under-resourced youth each year. NJTL chapters are typically affiliated with facilities and serve to generate more recreational play and broaden the spectrum of participants.

NJTL chapters are important Tennis Pantry community partners, well positioned to help by organizing play events and equipment donation. The Tennis Pantry can also serve as an equipment resource to support NJTL events, clinics, and camps as well as lead to increased program registration and participation. The Tennis Pantry can help NJTLs provide opportunity and develop youth.

Schools with Tennis Facilities

Encouraging Facility Use and Team Participation

Schools with tennis courts can be dynamic Tennis Pantry community partner. The Tennis Pantry presents an opportunity for a school team to participate by installing one on their home courts, becoming a Tennis Pantry Partner for one installed at another site, or by assisting with promotional events and equipment donation drives. School teams can also collaborate with community organizations to install and maintain the Tennis Pantry.

The Tennis Pantry can help start conversations about the value of public access to tennis courts, including community health and fitness. These community efforts could also serve to promote the school teams themselves, raising community awareness of tennis and generating goodwill through engagement and collaboration. The Tennis Pantry can help schools with tennis facilities encourage facility use and team participation.

Clubs with Tennis Facilities

Facilitating Tennis Community and Customers

Membership-based clubs can serve as an important Tennis Pantry community partner. Clubs can engage their members to support the growth of local tennis by serving as used equipment donation sites, perhaps in collaboration with a local group or organization, like a CTA, NJTL chapter, school, or team. They can also bring awareness to the Tennis Pantry through internal staff and member communication.

Club pro shops can offer member discounts based on used equipment donations, thus helping to facilitate tennis equipment sales. Support for the initiative could also serve to elevate and promote the club. Any time new people are learning tennis it generates new tennis players and potential customers, so support of the initiative could lead to eventual club program registrations and memberships. The Tennis Pantry can help facilitate tennis community and customers.

Local Organizations and Businesses

Building Community Awareness and Outreach

Working with local organizations and businesses is a great opportunity to bring awareness to the Tennis Pantry through community outreach and sponsorship. Local organizations and businesses can support the Tennis Pantry through sponsorship, for example, by donating a Tennis Pantry and by having their respective logo added to the front-panel decal. They can also assist with facilitating used equipment donation drives or with providing support to purchase equipment.

These efforts can increase the community presence of the Tennis Pantry as well as that of local organizations and businesses. The Tennis Pantry can help local organizations and businesses with community outreach through sponsorship, donation, and support which, in turn, helps local organizations and businesses.

By including shorter racquets and lower compression red and orange tennis balls, the Tennis Pantry is a great way to help reposition modified tennis. Since shorter rackets and lower compression balls can be used by everyone, they welcome people of varying ages and abilities to have fun playing tennis together, on any racquet court.

Red Ball Tennis has been reimagined by USTA to bring new players to courts and have them playing tennis ten minutes. Designed as a fun experience, Red Ball Tennis can supercharge the enjoyment and success of players and bring a new level of energy to a facility. 

After running over 400 pilots with over 20,000 players, USTA is preparing to launch Red Ball Tennis. Designed to attract new and returning adults and families to tennis, it encourages current players to invite their families, friends and coworkers to play, and gives players a new option when the full court game becomes a challenge.

The Tennis Pantry can help make red ball for all and orange ball for everyone!

A way to involve local individuals, groups, and organizations with the Tennis Pantry is through an “adopt-a-pantry” effort. Organized to maintain the Tennis Pantry, participants could be referred to as “Tennis Pantry Partners”, “Tennis Pantry Pals”, or “Tennis Pantry Patrons”, including members of a CTA, NJTL chapter, Parks & Recreation Department, tennis club, school, team (i.e., high school, JTT, college, League). Anyone committed to monitoring, maintaining, and the restocking the Tennis Pantry could be involved.