/Jacksonville Tennis Facilities Honored for Excellence
USTA Jr. Team Tennis

Jacksonville Tennis Facilities Honored for Excellence

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Summer – 2015 – The USTA has announced that the Southside Tennis Complex in Jacksonville is one of 13 winners in its 34th annual USTA Facility Awards Program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. Representatives from the Southside Tennis Complex will be honored at the USTA Semi-annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Sept. 6.
The Southside Tennis Complex is home to approximately 10,000 tennis players each year. Approximately 20 teams per year who participate in USTA-sanctioned leagues consider the facility to be their home court. Of the 10,000 players who use the facility each year, approximately 1,000 participate in league play.
Tennis professional Harrell Thomas has served as the lead pro at Southside Tennis Complex for 29 years. During his time at the facility, he has established a citywide junior tennis program open to children regardless of financial abilities. Coach Thomas is a member of the USTA, Professional Tennis Registry and the USTA National Junior Tennis League. For the past three years, Southside Tennis Complex has been home to a 65-and-over 6.0 team that has won sectionals in each of those years and finished third in the nation in 2014-15.
“Great tennis facilities like the Southside Tennis Complex help us to grow the game at the grass-roots level, and we are proud to recognize them for their ongoing impact on the sport of tennis,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “The Southside Tennis Complex has embraced many of our tennis initiatives and kept the sport at the forefront of their community each year.”
To be considered for an award, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a parks and recreation department, an educational institution, a non-profit corporation, or be a private or commercially owned and operated facility that offer both USTA and public programming designed to help grow tennis.
Facilities were judged upon the following criteria: overall layout and adaptation to site; excellence of court surface and lights; ease of maintenance; accommodations for players, spectators and press/officials; aesthetics; graphics (including the use of signs and landscaping); amenities such as casual seating for spectators, food services and social areas; and the facilities’ participation in USTA programs.
Nominated facilities were voted upon in the following categories: Public Courts that are either small tennis centers with 2-10 courts or large tennis centers with 11 or more courts; Educational Institutions; and Private Facilities that support the USTA and other “growth of the game” programs open to the public.
All 2015 award winners will receive a wall plaque and an all-weather sign, which can be mounted at the facility. Certificates of award will be made available to park and recreation departments, schools, and those professionals responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of the facility. In addition, a one-year complimentary membership to the USTA will be awarded to each winning facility.

The 2015 USTA Facility Awards Program winners are:

Public Courts: Small Tennis Centers (2 to 10 courts)
Deer Creek Courts – Highland Park, Ill.

Public Courts: Large Tennis Centers (11 or more courts)
Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center – Minneapolis
Princeton Racquet Club – Princeton, N.J.
Chandler Tennis Center – Chandler, Ariz. (Featured Facility)
The Phoenix Tennis Center – Phoenix
Southside Tennis Complex – Jacksonville, Fla.

Educational Institution
McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium – Albuquerque, N.M.

Private Facilities
Horseshoe Bend Country Club – Roswell, Ga.
Moss Creek Tennis Center – Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The Phoenician Resort – Scottsdale, Ariz.
West Winds Tennis Center – New Market, Md.
Trump National Golf Club – Potomac Falls, V

Source:  USTA & LoriBoyer.org