The U.S. Tennis Association wants to get 35 million Americans playing tennis by 2035. The organization calls it its “35 by ’35” growth strategy.
As a key part of that effort, last August it formed USTA Coaching, a stand-alone entity that provides resources for coaches across the professional, collegiate and amateur levels.
“The ‘why’ is to make sure we are investing in the delivery system to protect the growth of the game [of tennis],” said USTA Coaching CEO Craig Morris, who, before assuming his current title, worked nearly a decade across the USTA’s community tennis initiatives.
“We’re not building this for the sake of building it. We’re building it to make sure that current and future tennis players get the best service and onboarding experiences, regardless of their levels.”
About nine months since launch, USTA Coaching has signed on nearly 14,000 members, a similar scale to two of its chief counterparts, the Racquet Sports Professionals Association (12,000) and Professional Tennis Registry (more than 16,000).
Tennis coaches can gain certification through the USTA by participating in in-person education workshops. Once certified, USTA Coaching memberships range from a free, entry-level tier designed for parents and high school coaches to annual rates of $49, $149 and $249. Those packages include varying levels of access to learning modules, equipment discounts (via USTA Coaching partners, such as Wilson, Babolat and Head) and even liability insurance at the highest tier, which is geared toward pro coaches.
“You can do all the education to get professionally certified and pay your membership for less than $1,000, but potentially walk into a job where you’re making over $100,000 a year delivering the sport,” Morris said, estimating that the cost of the education workshops ranges from $600-$700.
With more than 20 dedicated staff, USTA Coaching’s initial remit was to establish its product, onboard members and drive engagement. The organization recently announced partnerships with Ferris State University, Hope College and Methodist University to provide coaching education resources to students, and WeCoach to produce a coaching certification program for female student-athletes. USTA Coaching also will be part of the USTA’s recent sponsorship deal with Oura, likely through data and knowledge sharing.
“The number we’re most concerned about is engagement rate,” said Megan Rose, USTA Coaching managing director and head of business development and operations, who was formerly a WTA player and executive, Princeton’s women’s tennis coach and an SBJ Game Changer. “We don’t want 14,000 people who log in and create a free account and then we don’t see them again until the next year.”
Rose said USTA Coaching members’ monthly engagement rate tops 30% across digital modules and in-person events. In addition to expanding opportunities for women and minority coaches, and forthcoming launches of an online store and job board, creating opportunities for coaches to connect in person will be a focus.
As one example, USTA Coaching will host a three-day conference at the U.S. Open that will feature coaching workshops; talks from thought leaders such as Billie Jean King; and a trade show for partners of USTA Coaching and USTA Connect, a networking and data-sharing program for tech companies in the tennis industry.
Morris declined to get into exact figures, but said the USTA has invested millions of dollars into the USTA Coaching effort. That ties back to the U.S. Open, because the USTA derives around 90% of its revenue from its crown jewel event — and has found that nearly half of U.S. Open attendees also play tennis.
“There’s a far higher chance someone’s going to be a fan [of tennis] — go to events and buy tickets — if they participate,” Morris said. “And the key driver of participation is the people who deliver the game.”
