GLTF and NorCal Partner to Create Tennis Opportunities for All

The Gay & Lesbian Tennis Federation (GLTF) is on a mission – organize tennis that is inclusive and offers a dedicated safe space for all members of the community to play.

And since its start in 1980, they’ve been doing that and more.

GLTF originally began as a softball club that was the only "out" sports league in the Bay Area at the time. However, after a group of softball players decided they wanted to play tennis too, the group decided to move their focus to tennis instead.

There were just 12 members that first year, but today the club boasts a membership of over 500 and is one of 40+ member clubs of the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA).

“Back then it was still unsafe for queer people, so the GLTF was formed as a result of creating a safe environment for tennis in the community,” said Marcel McLain, GLTF’s social director.

In their founding year, the players in GLTF decided to put an advertisement out to host a tournament in Golden Gate Park and invite gay and lesbian players across the Bay Area to participate. Little did they know that this would turn into the hallmark United States Gay Open (USGO), one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious gay tennis tournaments in the world today.

And while the mainstream community has made a lot of headway over the last four decades, the GLTF still dedicates its time to providing tennis opportunities throughout the Bay Area.

Today, GLTF is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization that offers tennis and social events for all levels of players in an environment that doesn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

As part of its efforts, GLTF collaborates with USTA NorCal in many ways to promote the sport, including hosting 44 members of GLTF for an evening of socializing and tennis at the 2021 Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, a tradition that has been happening for years.

“We had a great reception dinner just outside of center court and we were given some very nice swag to help us enjoy the event,” McLain said.

After the reception, the GLTF members got to see the quarterfinals match between top pro circuit players.

“The whole experience was a real treat, and we appreciate the support from NorCal,” he added. “It was great to have this for our members and have a night where we could get together as a community, watch some great tennis, and support other local professional events.”

GLTF and USTA NorCal have also worked together on many past events such as arranging for a couple of USTA officials to officiate at GLTF’s annual Memorial Day tournament and helping develop a clinic in East Oakland in an underserved community for kids that were interested in tennis but never had access to it. As part of the eight-week clinic for kids aged five to 11, USTA NorCal staff helped support GLTF with tools to teach beginner tennis skills, including access to equipment and hosting an opening and closing pizza party to celebrate.

In addition, GLTF is the largest LGBTQ organization in the country that actively participates in USTA Adult Leagues.

“This is central to our membership,” McLain added. “We always guarantee our members a spot on a USTA league team. We have 10 dedicated captains every year and we have Adult League teams throughout the area in almost every age division representing GLTF.”

And because GLTF is centered around inclusion, when they had several beginner players a couple of years ago, they worked with USTA NorCal to create a 2.5 league with two teams and 16 players to help them have a better introduction to tennis.

“That adjustment working with USTA NorCal really helped us get the players interested in tennis, and we are looking to resume that again in the future hopefully,” McLain noted.

In the meantime, GLTF was able to offer socially distanced singles events throughout the pandemic, and they have several other opportunities for their members in the works. They held a US Open finals watch party and they are planning on hosting monthly tennis events at Davie Stadium in Oakland, having a membership appreciation event in November, and they are looking to find new ways to connect their group with other social events throughout the Bay Area.

Ultimately, “We always want to be in the conversation of making tennis inclusive to the queer community, and we are looking forward to finding new opportunities that make that happen," McLain added.