Eight advocates for the sport of tennis at the grassroots and local levels were honored with seven awards at the 2023 USTA Annual Meeting and Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.
WATCH: Edmond Center Court named Featured Facility of the Year
Edmond Center Court in Edmond, Okla., was named the Featured Facility of the Year, the highest honor the USTA bestows on a tennis facility, at the 2023 USTA Annual Meeting and Conference. Edmond Center Court was one of 33 honorees in the USTA’s annual Outstanding Facility Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country.
Edmond Center Court has 24 lighted outdoor courts, six climate-controlled indoor courts and a state-of-the-art clubhouse. The facility hosts dozens of major events each year, including NCAA and ITA events, as well as USTA national junior tournaments.
A number of JTT teams call Edmond Center Court home; it hosts nearly 1,000 USTA League matches throughout the year, as well as weekly junior programming with approximately 500 players. It is also home to Play It Forward Tennis, a USTA Foundation NJTL chapter that provides free instruction and equipment to under-resourced youth and special needs players.
“Great tennis facilities like Edmond Center Court help us to grow the game at the grassroots level and we are proud to recognize them for their ongoing impact on the sport of tennis,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “Edmond Center Court has embraced many of our tennis initiatives and kept the sport at the forefront of its community each year.”
Photo by Cameraworks USA/USTA.
To be considered for an award, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a park and recreation department, an educational institution, a nonprofit corporation or be a private or commercially-owned-and-operated facility that offers both USTA and public programming designed to help grow tennis.
Facilities were judged on the following criteria: overall layout and adaptation to site; excellence of court surface and lights; ease of maintenance; accommodations for players, spectators and press/officials; aesthetics; graphics, including the use of signs and landscaping; amenities such as casual seating for spectators, food services and social areas; and the facilities’ participation in USTA programs.
Nominated facilities were voted on in the following categories: public courts that are either small tennis centers with 2-10 courts or large tennis centers with 11 or more courts; private facilities that support the USTA and other “growth of the game” programs open to the public; and educational institutions such as colleges, universities, public and private grade schools, middle schools or high schools.
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