USTA Tennis Venue Services grants assist in construction, revitalization of facilities

Also within USTA Heart of America, umpire chairs were installed at Overland Park Racquet Club, a USTA Premier Facility. The $9,000-plus project was a Category 1 undertaking, which can include basic facility improvements such as fixed tennis court amenities (backboards, windscreens, smart court access) and blended 36’ and 60’ line installation on existing tennis courts. USTA National ($4,601), USTA Missouri Valley ($2,357) and USTA Heart of America ($2,300) contributed to OPRC’s project.

In USTA Nebraska, the six-court tennis facility at McCook Senior High School underwent a major facelift. The courts, built in 2007, were resurfaced with the assistance of a $28,750 USTA National grant and a $5,000 USTA Missouri Valley grant. Total project cost was north of $155,000. The project was labeled as a Category 2, which includes resurfacing of existing 36’, 60’ and 78’ tennis courts and/or converting 78’ tennis courts to stand-alone 36’ tennis courts as well as fencing needs.

William Woods University—an NAIA institution located in Fulton within USTA Missouri—received a $13,000 grant from USTA National to help complete a nearly $60,000 Category 2 project. The four-court lit facility located in the middle of WWU’s campus was resurfaced for the first time since 2015.

A pair of Category 1 projects were fulfilled in 2024 within USTA St. Louis. Umpire chairs were added to Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center, which hosted the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. USTA National ($5,000), USTA Missouri Valley ($2,500) and USTA St. Louis ($2,500) contributed grants toward the nearly $20,000 project.

Watson Trail Park within USTA St. Louis received a $5,000 grant courtesy of USTA National to carry out an $11,000-plus project. Watson Trail Park installed a beautiful tennis backboard to its four-court facility.

Terpkosh noted three additional facility projects within the USTA Missouri Valley have been approved, including two Category 3 grants. In Ames, Iowa, construction of a sports complex that will include 12 tennis courts (six lit outdoor, six indoor) is underway. The tennis facility will benefit the Ames community as well as the women’s tennis program and tennis club at Iowa State University.

East St. Louis is nearing completion of a $1.7 million tennis facility that will feature six courts. The complex—expected to be finalized this spring—keeps the momentum rolling for the East St. Louis tennis community as well as programs within the East St. Louis School District.

A $57,000 resurfacing project for the four tennis courts at Fairview Park in Columbia, Mo. has been approved as well. That comes on the heels of A. Perry Philips Park in Columbia receiving a $20,000 USTA National grant to help construct two new public tennis courts, which were completed in May 2024. The courts were featured in the February 2025 issue of Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) magazine, with Terpkosh quoted in the article.

Terpkosh hopes the success of facilities applying for and receiving grants via the USTA Tennis Venue Services team spurs on others within the USTA Missouri Valley to do the same, particularly with exciting changes in store connected to TVS grants in 2025.

Individuals interested in learning more about Tennis Venue Services and facility funding assistance can click here. For additional information, contact John Terpkosh at jterpkosh@movalley.usta.com.

Facility Fast Facts*

• 95% of tennis courts in the U.S. are outdoors

• 85% of tennis facilities in the U.S. consist of 6 or fewer courts

• 68% of tennis facilities in the U.S. are public // 82% in USTA Missouri Valley are public

• Nationwide player-to-court ratio is 126:1 // USTA Missouri Valley ratio is 174:1

*Source: USTA Facilities