USPTA Little Tennis was first introduced to you and the tennis industry in September 1994. I had always wanted to do a program designed for very young children, so I was excited when, after months of planning and preparation, we unveiled the program to a sport that badly needed an infusion of new players. What better market to target than the youngest people who could hold a racquet - and all of their family members? So, Little Tennis™ was born.
When we first introduced the concept of providing tennis activities and motor skill learning for children ages 3 to 10, there were many skeptics who said we were going after the wrong group. Some were convinced that tennis should spend its marketing dollars on attracting teen-agers to the game. Others argued that we should not introduce tennis at such an early age.
Even so, USPTA continued to forge ahead with a program that not only targeted what we felt was the most viable group of players, but one that was designed specifically to benefit you. While Little Tennis increased the number of tennis players at every age within the family, it was specifically designed with marketing and promotional strategies to improve the job market and income for tennis professionals. If you study the program, you will agree with this point.
Little Tennis has grown and prospered without the financial assistance of a major corporate sponsor. With nearly 1,000 sites and 30,000 kids participating, the program is well worth the time spent promoting it. Although we haven’t been able to buy the exposure reserved for the likes of McDonald’s or Disney, Little Tennis has generated more publicity for you and the USPTA than any other program in our organization's history.
On the surface, Little Tennis is just that. Tennis for the smallest and youngest players and lots of fun games and activities. But, the concept reaches much further, benefiting many elements of a tennis business.
Little Tennis attracts people from age 3 to 83! It encourages parents to be a part of their children’s learning and playing experiences. What’s even better - it is popular with grandparents, who enjoy being able to share the lifetime sport with grandchildren. Little Tennis is the most inclusive tennis activity that the industry offers today. There’s no rule that says siblings, aunts, uncles and friends of any age or level can’t help someone with Little Tennis or actually be a part of the fun. One look at the instruction manuals or equipment that has been designed to aid the program will tell you that.
It’s vitally important that you - the USPTA member - remember that this program is designed to increase the activity and income at your facility, more than any other sports marketing activities in which you are asked to participate. More young players means more adult players as parents take up the game or return after years away from the courts. Children influence their parents’ buying decisions, which can translate into more club memberships or increased pro shop and lesson sales.
Recently, other groups have recognized that there is a gold mine of potential players in the 3 to 10 age group.
Your Association has spent time and energy to produce program guides, teaching manuals and special materials to organize and run the Little Tennis program. The groundwork has been done and a network of professionals has adopted the program. USPTA has urged the industry to support a project that has already won the hearts of many children, parents, teachers and, most definitely, the press. In an already fragmented industry short of funds and workers, we should work together to capture this market.
We have promoted and pushed this program on your behalf to every tennis- and club-related magazine in this country. It has generated thousands of feet of videotape coverage from local TV stations and filled numerous press books with clippings from local newspapers throughout the country. We’ve also promoted you and your ability to run Little Tennis programs to the industry’s club owners and managers. This will increase your job marketability.
It’s time that we stood up for programs that produce the most benefit for teaching professionals, especially when they help the rest of the tennis industry.
Little Tennis is the basis on which we can capture and hold onto a market that will be a part of tennis for years to come.
