How to Create a Great Tennis Community

The key to having a successful tennis program with people begging for more is giving players the opportunity to have fun, connect with others, and feel like they matter.

Over the last 16-17 years, I've captained teams, become a coach, played for fun, played on teams, played in tournaments, and even worked at a tennis desk at a club part-time while waiting on my kids in their lessons. I've learned a lot about the sport from a variety of angles. Like everybody, I've won a lot and lost a lot of matches. I've had great seasons and not so great seasons. I've made friends and ... not. IYKYK lol

For me, and a lot of people I know, tennis is way more than just an activity, it's a way of life. It's become a place of community, culture, and connection. That's probably why tennis reportedly adds more years to your life than any other sport. Check out what the Copenhagen City Heart Study revealed about what sports add longevity to your life here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30193744/

One of the things I've noticed over my years in the sport is there are a lot of players out there who are dissatisfied with their home clubs. The most common complaints are around not feeling heard, acknowledged, or valued as members. Quite often, members express feeling that coaches and management favor certain players over others and, if you're not on the "the list," you feel shafted. If you've ever felt like one of those shafted players, you probably know what I mean. What can you do about it? That's a whole other topic for another day, but the short answer is you create what you want in your tennis life. You make friends and schedule time together instead of relying on unresponsive management to help you. I could write an entire article on this topic.

If you're running a club or a program, however, and having a hard time getting members to stay or fill your courts, cultivating a connected community may be the missing link you are needing right now. Players go elsewhere when they do not feel like their needs, wants, and desires are being met. That's true in just about anything in life.

There are 3 important things for you to do this in a tennis club without it turning into a messy, weird, anarchy-style free-for-all:

1) First, ask and listen with an open mind. So often, when I talk to club owners or managers I hear what won't work and why they won't try something. It is rare to hear someone be truly curious about why someone is asking for a particular thing, what they really want, and how that underlying need can be met. The difference between a fixed and open mindset can make all the difference in your level of success and how others perceive your program.

2) Second, communicate. So many of the "shafted" players I have talked to over the years have expressed feeling like they ask for things at their club and never get an answer, whether it's how to meet other players, how to get on a team or find players for their own, which round robin their level is best suited for, or how to get the bar to stay open another hour. When questions don't get answered, people don't feel valued.

3) Third, care. This one is simple, but it isn't always easy. Sometimes people are annoying, irritating, or even downright unlovable. It may feel hard to care about someone like that. My years of working in tennis, practicing law, and just living life have shown me that the grumpy people are usually that way for a reason and it's not because they hate you. So often they are hurting from any number of things - family or career discord, rejection in childhood, a lack of social skills, or something else. The best way to deal with them more often than not is to offer kindness, understanding, and acceptance. This does not have to come without boundaries, but treating everyone the way you would want to be treated yourself - with respect and trust that they have something valuable to bring to the world - so often has a positive impact on them and they way they interact with you. Ask them how they are first, then ask them what they need. If you can't meet that need, let them know why not. Be open (see number 1 above) to hearing their thoughts about that.

None of these things are difficult. They are simple, but they may not be easy, at least not at first. Cultivating community and culture is one of the most impactful things you can do for your members.

Oh, and show up with a good playlist. That always seems to help. Need some? Message or email me and I'll share some of my most popular ones.

Have an awesome day.

-Angela