What is Tennis Advocacy?

Successful tennis advocacy involves a concerted effort on the part of tennis enthusiasts to build public support for tennis and to show decision-makers in the public, private and non-profit sectors how the sport benefits individuals and the community. Our goal is to win their support for increasing tennis programming and for providing and preserving tennis courts and infrastructure. As members of the tennis family, we are aware of the positive impact tennis can have on people’s lives.   Advocacy is all about turning that knowledge into action.

Decision-makers in a community are presented with many athletic and non-athletic options in which to invest. As an advocate for tennis, you need to answer this basic question for them: Why tennis? The answer should not focus solely on tennis as a game. Your message needs to convey how good tennis facilities and strong programs address community needs and solve public problems. Focus on how the sport can improve schools and the community, provide opportunities for youth, spur economic development, and improve the quality of life for all residents.

Great advocacy starts with you.  As a member of the tennis family, you are aware of the positive impact tennis can have on people’s lives, and that makes you the perfect advocate for our sport.  Begin with your passion for the game and learn how to to show others the value tennis can add to a community. The USTA can provide information, resources, and guidance to help you, but you are the key.   Finding allies will be easy:  advocating for tennis is something that can be done by anyone passionate about the game, including players, parents, coaches, and fans.  Empowered with knowledge and acting in concert, tennis advocates can be a driving force for positive change in local communities.

Taking up the cause for tennis is not a small commitment. Advocating for better public programming, new or expanded facilities or overdue repairs, or working to protect existing courts can involve wading through bureaucracy and may take months or even years.  Pushing for programming that reaches new and under-served populations can be equally difficult.  However, there is a growing need to expand, repair, and protect tennis courts, and an even more pressing need to make tennis more accessible to everyone.  Again, you are the key.  If you believe in tennis and in all the benefits it brings to your community and its residents, then your efforts will be richly rewarded.