Municipal Tennis Facility Proposal

April 2006

Overview of KATCH Initiatives

Organized Tennis in Keller

• Our mission is to grow and promote tennis locally and institute a local offering of recreational city courts available. Courts became a huge hurdle for the group. Meetings with the KISD Facilities Director and area coaches secured the use of KISD tennis courts

• Meetings with Keller Park and Recreation (KPR) were held to develop plans for various organized adult leagues

• The inter-local agreement with KISD and KPR continues to allowarea players to play on KISD courts while our contract with KPR helps advertise, accept registrations and assist with events

Seeing the growing popularity of tennis in Northeast Tarrant County and in the Keller community, in the Summer of 2000, a small group of men and women began discussing the needs of tennis enthusiasts in the community.

KATCH Is Chartered

• KATCH registered with the USTA to become a formal Community Tennis Association

• They began meeting in peoples homes in an attempt to establish a Keller based tennis association

• 2004 KATCH applied for and became a 501c4 non-profit organization

• As a USTA Community Tennis Association, KATCH has received and continues to apply for funding in the form of grants and incentives to grow the game of tennis in the Keller area

As the grassroots effort continues to grow and expand, it became necessary to formalize the organization. The group is chartered in the state of Texas. KATCH, Keller Alliance Tennis Charter was established January 30, 2002. KATCH established a governing body, formulated by-laws and now holds monthly meetings to plan leagues and events.

Tennis Programming in Keller• Organized league play began in Keller in Summer 2000 and the first offering of

recreational leagues is advertised in Keller Adventure Guide and KISD Community Education

– Courts are reserved at KISD locations with 15 hours/4 days a week

– Leagues are offered (day, evenings and weekends); Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles

• To address the interest of beginner players, lessons are offered through KISD Community Education

– A member of KATCH obtains copy of USTA curriculum and teaches a class - the first beginner session

– The introductory lesson program has continued every season to date

• February 2002, KATCH along with KISD, KPR, Shelingham Tennisand Swim Club and Tough Tennis, hosts a community play day in order to introduce the community (young and old) to tennis. A large turnout indicated a significant interest in tennis

Constrained Growth

• Leagues continue to be advertised, now through The Pointe’s Points of Interest

• Currently, KATCH is coordinating and offering:– Women’s flex singles and 6 courts of doubles– Spring 2006, the maximum number of 24 players signed up for

Intermediate/Advanced doubles– 16 enrolled for Beginner/ Intermediate doubles – KATCH hosts 2 leagues of singles– A very active sub list

• Through its introductory lesson program, KATCH has added 30 new players to the game

In spite of the lack of facilities, KATCH continues to expand program offerings and bring new players to the sport.

Limitations Exist

• Lack of court availability for expansion

• Playing locations without adequate amenities (parking, water, restrooms, teaching pros, etc.)

– Parking at Keller High School remains unavailable during school day

– Restroom facilities are not accessible to the public

– Arrangements for parking and restroom facilities had to made through church on north side of Johnson Avenue (.2 miles from the courts)

– The only location with accessible lighting is at Keller High School, which offers sub-standard conditions

• Insufficient levels of competition

Tennis was off and running in Keller, but several issues hindered the growth and KATCH’s ability to compete with the organized programs offered in the surrounding areas.

Tennis Viability in the Keller Area

Tennis – Play it for Life• Tennis is a game for all ages, from age 4 – 94. Nationally, approximately 10% of

school age children play tennis, 11-12% of young adults, 22% of mid-age adults and 35% of adults age 50 and over

• Tennis is not a sport that caters to the affluent. With racquet and a can of balls, you’re off to the courts. 74% of the nation’s tennis players have a household income under $100,000 and 57% under $75,000

• Tennis is one of the few sports where the family can join together for fun and exercise

• Tennis can be recreational, social or competitive; on a whim or organized play; learned at any age; and played as often as you like

• Throughout the US, people are KATCHing the fever. Today, tennis

is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. Over 1.1 million

new players joined tennis enthusiasts on the court in 2005

Tennis Participation on the Rise

• A national study completed by SGMA, Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, shows tennis as one of the only major sports with growth in participation over the past few years, with an 8.3% increase from 1998 – 2004

• The Tennis Industry Association, reports the total number of tennis players in the U.S. grew from 23.6 million to 24.7 million players in 2005, a 4.7% increase

• The TIA’s national survey reports that almost 9% of the population played tennis in the last year.

– The number of frequent players — those who play tennis 21or more times a year – rose by 8.8% to 5.2 million players in 2005

– 5.8 million new players began playing tennis in 2005

– Player retention has improved over the past two years,with 80 percent of players continuing with the sport in 2005 (vs. 74 percent in 2004)

Many industry indicators show a steady increase in the participation in the sport and demonstrate the popularity of tennis.

Texans Love Their Tennis

• Participation reports indicate that Texas had over 1.7 million people play tennis in 2005

• Texas realized an increase in players of 222,000 from 2004 to 2005

• 519,000 new players came to the sport of tennis in 2005

• From 2002 to 2005, Texas player base increased by 8.71% or 445,000 with almost half of that increase in the past year

• Frequent players – a player that plays more than 21 times per year – is now up to 434,000 players in Texas

With record breaking participation in Texas, Ken McAllister, Executive Director of the USTA Texas Section boasts that Texas tennis numbers are “statistically rocking”.

Northeast Tarrant County A Hotbed for Tennis

• Adult programs have experienced tremendous growth over the past 6 years. With NETT, USTA, TCD and Metro leagues exhausting the court availability throughout the week

– Participation in NETT adult programs has increased over 44% since the opening of the Southlake Tennis Center in Fall 1999

– Northeast Tarrant County’s participation in USTA leagues has increased by 130% since 2000 with over 700 league participants in 2005

– TCD participation is up by 27.6% with an over 500 participants

• Area junior programs attract nearly 400 players a season, a 250% rate of growth over the past 6 years

• Junior tournament participation has steadily increased. Early tournaments brought approximately 100 players per event andnow exceed 400 players

While the growth in tennis in the US and Texas are remarkable, we are not to be outdone! Northeast Tarrant County has been one of the fastest growing tennis populations in the state of Texas

Keller Area Player Base

• The Keller ISD boasts one of the largest number of tennis players in the metroplex

– KISD High Schools have nearly 200 players across 3 high schools and the KISD middle school tennis programs is one of the few in the metroplex with just under 300 students enrolled

• KATCH with its very limited access to courts has continuously offered programming since 2000 with a high of nearly 100 participants last year

• Hundreds of beginning tennis lessons and organized programs have been offered to area youth and adults through independent teaching pros looking to tap into this growing market

• With approximately 8-9% of the state and national populationinvolved in tennis and a population in the Greater Keller Area of 112,900, nearly 10,000 individuals can be expected to be involved in tennis each year

Along with growth of tennis in Northeast Tarrant County, Keller has also been consistently adding new players to its community.

Where are the players?

Area Active Tennis PlayersArea City # PlayersGreater Keller Area Keller, North Ft Worth, Watauga, Haslet 963

Roanoke, Trophy Club, Westlake 150

Neighboring Towns Southlake 484

Colleyville 265

Hurst, Euless Bedford 221

North Richland Hills 221

Grapevine 184

The chart below identifies the players residing in the Keller area that are active tennis participants. It is remarkable how many players reside in the Keller area that must go elsewhere for organized tennis programming.

The Money Goes Elsewhere

• Tennis lessons, weekly team drills, league fees, court fees, tournament play

• Tennis clothing, tennis shoes, tennis racquets, tennis balls and other accessories

• Social gatherings before and after tennis…coffee, lunch, shopping, etc.

The unfortunate reality…an increasingly large number of our residents are taking their tennis and their money to communities other than Keller. The average tennis player spends money on

This in turn, drives the shopping for non-tennis related items to other communities as well: daily essentials, fuel, groceries, clothing, meals taken to their families.

Retain the Revenue

• Fort Worth Spring Open Adult Tournament, a 2-day event with 290 players, supplemented the city’s revenue base by $48,140

• While the Fort Worth Zonal Area Tournament, a 2-day event with 305 junior players accompanied by their families, supplemented the city’s revenue with $177,205

The reverse is obviously also true. When there is a tennis facility within a community all of these monies remain in the community.

Additionally, events hosted by the facility, such as adult or junior tournaments, bring not only the local players in, but also players from around the state. A study by the USTA reports that an average of $83 per player per day is brought to the local community for an adult event and $290.50 per family for a junior event.

An example of how tennis brings supplemental revenue to a city can be seen when reviewing a few events hosted at the Arlington Tennis Center in 2004.

Full Service

• Full Service Pro Shop – Tennis Attire, Racquets, Balls and Accessories, Refreshments and Snacks

• Fully Equipped Facility – Lighted Courts, Restroom Facilities with Showers

• Professional Instruction – Private, Semi-Private & Group Lessons, Team Drills, Classroom Training, Cardio Training

• Programming For All Ages and Skill – Beginning to Advanced level for Young Children, Juniors, School Based Players, Adults, Seniors, and Families. Beginning to Advanced Junior, Adult and Seniors, Tennis Camps, Drop-In Drills, and Competitive Training Sessions

• Recreational and Competitive Leagues - Singles, Doubles, Men’s Women’s, Set Partner, Mixed Doubles, Ladders, Socials, USTA, TCD, NETT, METRO 

• USTA Tournaments and Events – Pro and Semi-Pro Tournaments, Zonal Area Tournaments, Champs, Super Champs, USTA Sanctioned Events, Community Play Days, Tennis Carnivals, Fundraising Events to Benefit Local Charities

• Special Programs – Adaptive Programming for Physically Challenged Athletes, Equipment, Training, Competition

It is not accidental that the new facilities being built in North Texas are professionally manned and full service facilities. With proper accoutrements and professional staffs, these facilities are quick to flourish. The facility should incorporate:

The Next StepTennis is clearly a sport that caters to the general population. It offers fun and fitness to people of all ages, from 4 to 94. Its growth in popularity can be seen all the way to the local level.

Keller boasts a truly active and growing tennis community that desperately needs a professionally manned, full service tennis facility. There is no question that a tennis facility in this area would be utilized to capacity. The evidence of established players within our community and the constrained growth throughout Northeast Tarrrant County would bring an immediate influx of tennis enthusiasts to the facility.

We urge you to enhance our city’s already impressive park system and recreational programming with a premiere tennis facility. We respectfully ask the Park and Recreation Board to:

• Add a municipal tennis facility to the Parks and Open Space Master Plan

• Provide the Keller City Council with necessary recommendations

to fund this facility