Alton's Gordon Moore Park tennis courts refreshed through collaboration, grants

The Gordon Moore Park tennis courts have long been used for recreational and competitive tennis in Alton, Ill., a Greater St. Louis suburb at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Thanks to a $117,500 project, the courts will look pristine when the spring weather arrives.

The City of Alton, USTA national, USTA Missouri Valley, USTA St. Louis and Simpson Memorial Tennis Program combined to pay for and help complete resurfacing the eight courts at the Dr. Raymond “Bud” Simpson Tennis Center, among other improvements. The remodeling was celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November.

“It has been a host site for tournaments, for high school play, for league play and a lot of local players who like to go there to hit the ball around,” said James Humphrey, an Alton tennis leader and member of the committee that coordinated the project. “It’s a really well-used facility.

“Part of the reason is it’s just a beautiful location. It’s kind of nestled in the back of a big, old park where there are soccer fields, a rose garden and a golf course right next to the tennis courts. It’s pretty well protected from the wind, so it’s been really popular since it opened up in the early 1990s.”

Grants at Work

Humphrey was instrumental in securing USTA Tennis Venue Services grants to help fund the project. USTA national contributed $50,000, USTA Missouri Valley added $3,500 and USTA St. Louis chipped in $500 for courts No. 3 through No. 8.

The facility is home to the Marquette Catholic High School tennis teams and some Alton High School tennis matches. When there’s a big tournament in the area, Gordon Moore Park is the place to be.

“The Simpson Memorial Tennis Program puts on the three tournaments,” Humphrey said. “We have the Bud Simpson tournament in June, the Alton Open and NTRP in July, and the junior six-hour tournament in August. Those are all joint ventures with the City of Alton Parks and Recreation. We have a very close working relationship with them.”

The city not only helps run the tournaments. Together, the city and Simpson Memorial Tennis Program work together on a plan to get things fixed when needed.

“They have the same goal as we do, which is to get people out and doing things outdoors,” Humphrey said.

More Tennis Coming

As busy as the courts have been in past years, they’re likely to be busier this summer. Brad Bower, an Alton native and a sophomore at the University of Missouri, has the goal of hosting seven additional tournaments to the three already on the schedule.