Los Angeles, CA –The Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) has acquired a TGA Premier Youth Tennis (TGA) franchise and created a unique collaboration to grow the sport. The SCTA will implement TGA’s school-based activation model in the San Fernando Valley, and is the first United States Tennis Association (USTA) section to invest in TGA’s self-sustaining business.
“Schools are the sources of new youth players for the tennis pipeline. I believe that partnering with TGA Premier Youth Tennis creates the best opportunity to consistently introduce tennis to elementary and middle school students and parents via a successful market-proven model. I believe that the SCTA will look back on this partnership with TGA as one of the key building blocks for the future of tennis in Southern California,” according to SCTA Executive Director Bruce A. Hunt.
As the franchisee, the SCTA will use TGA’s infrastructure to run in-school and after-school enrichment programs that engage new youth tennis players along with their families in elementary and middle schools. The new participants will transition to local TGA/SCTA camps, USTA programming and local tennis clubs. Wilson Tennis will provide all of the equipment for the programs.
“Partnering with the SCTA to implement our franchise model is a game changer within the industry, which will bring tennis directly onto school campuses alongside the mainstream sports,” said Joshua Jacobs, TGA’s founder and CEO. “Through this unique collaboration the SCTA will control the pipeline and development pathway of tennis in Southern California, while increasing the base and participation.”
The SCTA will use the TGA franchise model to create full and part-time jobs to oversee day-to-day operations, handle staff training and teach the programs. In addition, the revenue generated from the business model will help develop other youth initiatives within the section.