Tennis industry partners are working together to promote May as “Play Tennis Month” to help showcase the sport of tennis and associated health benefits. Thousands of tennis programs and events will be held around the country, with a goal of helping to get people moving and playing tennis, the No. 1 sport for a long and healthy life.
At least 1,500 tennis facilities around the U.S. are expected to participate in Play Tennis Month. The goal for the entire month of May is for Americans to burn a combined 10 million calories on the tennis court in Play Tennis Month activities. Play Tennis Month also helps to support PHIT America.
To support Play Tennis Month, tennis providers should register their location as a participating site, so consumers can find nearby locations and programs. To register a location and programs for free and to support the tennis industry and a healthy America, visit RallyTheIndustry.org.
“The website RallyTheIndustry.org also has suggested program formats that emphasize not only the fitness aspect of tennis, but also how fun and social it is,” says Tennis Industry Association (TIA) Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. Among suggested formats are Cardio Tennis sessions, Try Tennis Free and PlayTennisFast programming, and POP Tennis on 60-foot courts. “But providers can offer any programs they’d like as part of Play Tennis Month.”
The lead-up to Play Tennis Month will include a massive Cardio Tennis session on April 20 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., where the goal is for participants to burn a combined 1 million calories. The USTA National Campus, which has 100 tennis courts, is billed as the “Home of American Tennis.”
Also, Play Tennis Month provider webinars are scheduled for Feb. 22, March 21 and April 24, in which attendees will hear important information and updates on formats, programming, promotions, follow-up and more. For “Frequently Asked Questions” about Play Tennis Month, click here.
May 5 will also be National Cardio Tennis Day, with participating facilities offering Cardio Tennis challenges, sessions and programming.
Play Tennis Month events will include many fund-raisers to benefit PHIT America GO! Grants, which provide funds for physical education in schools, including supporting equipment and curriculum for the new Net Generation youth tennis initiative. PHIT America, which was founded by former TIA President Jim Baugh, is also looking to pass the PHIT Act (visit phitamerica.org for more information), which is designed to get more people active and moving, including through tennis.
Play Tennis Month ties in with PHIT America Month, also slated for May, which reaches out to the entire sports and fitness industry to encourage Americans to get active.
“The support has been wide and deep,” Baugh said. “Companies in the sports and fitness industry know we just can’t sit back and wait for people to start a life of physical activity. And, they know that we must work together.” PHIT America Month has more than 30 sponsor companies and organizations, including the TIA and the U.S. Tennis Association.
For more information on Play Tennis Month and register, visit RallyTheIndustry.org.
