USTA League participation surges through outreach, innovation, community efforts

More people than ever are playing league tennis in USTA Heart of America. Last year, participation grew to 456 teams across all USTA Heart of America advancing leagues, a 12.87% increase from 2024.

USTA Heart of America District League Coordinator Blerina Boci shared that several factors helped spur this growth, including sustained participation increases since the COVID pandemic and the friendly competition among the tennis community. Individuals interested in joining a league or captaining a team can fill out this form.

Intentional, Focused Strategy

Boci said she and her team have worked intentionally to improve communication, social media presence, outreach to current/prospective players and retention efforts over the past year. Boci has increased direct communication with club pros—especially at facilities that offer multiple beginner programs throughout the year—in an effort to bring new players into the mix.

“This allows us to introduce USTA League opportunities to newer players at the right point in their development and help create a clear pathway from learning tennis now into competitive play,” Boci said.

Another driver of league participation is the expansion of leagues across multiple NTRP levels.

“Last year, we added a high tri-level as a league during the winter season so we could include the 18 & Over players while 40 & Over gender-based leagues were playing simultaneously,” Boci said. “We also expanded our daytime league to include women’s 3.0 in the fall for 18 & Over and 40 & Over.”

Outreach and Retention

Direct, in-person outreach has been one of the most impactful strategies of all.

“While visiting facilities such as Elite Tennis and Wellness and Genesis Health Clubs, I make a point to connect with players individually—especially those who are newer to the game—to learn whether they are participating in leagues and to personally guide them on how to get involved,” Boci said. “These conversations have been instrumental in helping players feel welcomed and supported as they transition into league play.”

Retention efforts have also been valuable in understanding why players leave leagues to help change course for the better.

“I do also run into players that have quit playing league matches for multiple reasons,” Boci said. “In those cases, I always like to find out what causes someone to quit playing leagues and what we could do better to get them back into playing competitively.”

Plan Your Play

There are several exciting USTA Heart of America leagues planned for this year. The 18 & Over spring/summer season takes place April through June for men and women, with the 18 & Over mixed and 55 & Over leagues also kicking off in late April. Registration is now open; make sure to sign up soon to participate in these leagues.

USTA Flex Leagues also occur in Kansas City throughout the year. Flex Leagues allow players to schedule matches when it best suits them and their schedule. Men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles as well as mixed doubles options are available. The spring season runs March 16 to May 10 with summer and fall seasons also on the docket. Learn more and register here.

Other USTA Heart of America leagues set to kick off later this year include:

• Mid Tri-Level 3.5-4.5: July-September

• Low Tri-Level 3.0-4.0: July-September

• 55 & Over Mixed: September-October

Get involved in USTA Heart of America league action by filling out this interest form.