APTA offers grants to tennis facilities across the country

In an effort to spread an awareness of platform tennis across the country and grow the game, the APTA’s grant program awarded three grants this year totaling $35,000 to projects that otherwise would not have succeeded.

The awardees induded the Creve Coeur Racquet Club in St. Louis, Mo., North Park, a county run facility in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa., and the YMCA in Wilton, Ct.

The first and largest will assist with the creation of a new platform tennis venue beginning with 2 courts at the Creve Coeur Racquet Club in St. Louis, a large, low cost, semi public indoor/outdoor tennis facility. The growth of Paddle in St. Louis has for years been hampered by a lack affordable access. Two years ago, Rick Randall, Frank Sant, Frank Childress and Bob Curtis formed the STL Platform Tennis Association to address the problem and the APTA is pleased to partner with this group of enthusiastic champions and assist their efforts to grow the game in St. Louis.

In North Park, the North Park Platform Tennis Association in Pittsburgh, needed help with the refurbishment of one of their old wooden courts. Ed Jaicks, NPPTA President and his team of volunteers have worked hard to keep a vibrant/public paddle program growing at North Park, despite a tough economy and funding environment in their county, coupled with some nasty storm damage this past year. The Board of the APTA believes strongly that public access, so common in tennis, is vital to the health and growth of platform tennis.[enlarge image to read more]