Tennis Industry Association

What Tennis Industry Association does

The Tennis Industry Association (TIA), also doing business as the Racquet Industry Research Group (RIRG), is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1974 as the American Tennis Federation and headquartered at 111 West Jackson Blvd, Suite 1412, Chicago, IL. The organization's stated mission is to promote the growth of racquet sports and the economic vitality of the racquet sports industry, with operational scope spanning tennis, pickleball, badminton, squash, and racquetball. Its primary product is proprietary industry research: more than 70 annual reports covering participation trends (historical data back to 1960), wholesale equipment sales (US and global), retail sell-through and POS data, and the RIRG National Database Court Report covering approximately 14,736 facilities and 101,142 tennis courts — the most comprehensive dataset of its kind in the US racquet sports industry.

Revenue is generated primarily through a three-tiered membership structure: Associate Partner at $325 per year (facilities, retailers, contractors), Supporting Partner at $1,250 per year (associations and nonprofits), and Participating Partner on tiered, quote-based pricing for manufacturing companies, which includes full access to wholesale and retail audit research and POS sales dashboards. Additional revenue comes from one-time sales of research publications through the RIRG web store (e.g., the 2025 State of the Tennis Industry Report). Supporting offerings include Learning Series Webinars, Manager's Manuals, the Careers in Tennis job board, a member directory, and an annual industry events calendar that aggregates conferences such as the RSPA World Racquets Conference, ATA Championships, and ITA Coaches Convention.

The GTM motion is community-led: the association recruits members through industry events, webinars, research publications, and member directory visibility, with no public funding events, no parent company ownership, and no disclosed venture capital backing. Member support and site infrastructure are operated on the YourMembership Association Management Software platform with Facebook and LinkedIn social login integration. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, consistent with the organization's nonprofit status.

Name

Tennis Industry Association

Legal name

Tennis Industry Association

Website

https://tennisindustry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Tennis Industry Association, operating as the Racquet Industry Research Group (RIRG), is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1974 that serves the US racquet sports industry through tiered memberships and 70+ annual research reports covering participation, wholesale, retail, and facility data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Industry Trade Association Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash) (MPAKABAF)

Keywords

• Racquet sports trade association
• Tennis industry research
• Market intelligence reports
• Industry membership services
• Sports participation data

Headquarters

HQ city

Hilton Head Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Associate Partner Membership: Annual membership fee for tennis facilities, retailers, owners/managers and court contractors. Provides access to Learning Series Webinars, Business Directory Listing, Careers in Tennis Job Board, Partner/Vendor Discounts, TIU Electronic Newsletter, Facility/Retail Manager Manuals, Member Discount at RIRG Events, and RIRG State of the Industry reports.
2. Supporting Partner Membership: Annual membership for tennis-specific associations and organizations including nonprofits. Includes all Associate Partner benefits plus PAC Tennis Participation Report and additional research access.
3. Participating Partner Membership: Tiered membership for tennis manufacturing companies - key stakeholders driving the industry. Includes full research access including wholesale equipment reports (racquets, balls, strings globally), retail audit dashboards, and quarterly POS sales data.
4. Research Publications Sales: Sale of research reports including the 2025 State of the Tennis Industry Report and various historical and specialty reports available through the RIRG store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Tennis Industry Association (operating as the Racquet Industry Research Group) is a not-for-profit trade association that delivers industry research, market intelligence, and member services to the U.S. racquet sports industry. Its core offerings include a tiered membership program (Associate, Supporting, and Participating Partners) and a catalogue of 70+ annual research reports covering tennis participation, wholesale equipment, retail sell-through, court facility data, and State of the Industry analyses.

Product overview

The Racquet Industry Research Group (RIRG), operating as the Tennis Industry Association, is a not-for-profit trade association serving the racquet sports industry since 1974. The organization operates a tiered membership structure (Associate Partner at $325/year, Supporting Partner at $1,250/year, and Participating Partner for manufacturers) that provides access to its core product: over 70 annual research reports. These include the flagship 2025 State of the Tennis Industry Report, National Tennis Participation Reports, RIRG National Database Court Reports, Wholesale Equipment Research (U.S. and Global), and Retail Equipment Research including POS sales dashboards. Additional offerings include Racquet Sports Industry Magazine publication, Learning Series Webinars, Manager's Manuals, an Industry Events Calendar, RSPA Certification Workshops, Cardio Tennis Instructor Training, a Careers in Tennis Job Board, and a Member Directory. All members receive the Business Directory Listing and Partner/Vendor Discounts, while higher tiers access more comprehensive market intelligence and retail audit data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 270,000 estimated total tennis courts tracked in the United States
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• YourMembershipminorOthersAssociation Management Software provider powering the TIA/RIRG website with membership management, event registration, and member directory functionality. The website uses YourMembership's platform for membership processing, social login integration, and site infrastructure.
• FacebookminorOthersSocial login integration allowing members to authenticate using their Facebook credentials. Part of the membership registration and login process on the RIRG website.
• LinkedInminorOthersSocial login integration allowing members to authenticate using their LinkedIn credentials. Part of the membership registration and login process on the RIRG website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• USA Pickleball: National governing body and trade organization for the rapidly growing sport of pickleball in the US. Relevant adjacent racquet-sport organization with overlapping but distinct member base; represents the most significant adjacent racquet sport category that TIA may extend into or compete with for member attention.

Direct peers

• Snowsports Industries America: US trade association for the snow sports industry, funded by manufacturer and retailer membership dues and producing proprietary market research and retailer audit reports. Closely analogous niche-sports trade association model with similar tiered membership structure and research product suite.
• Outdoor Industry Association: Trade association representing outdoor industry manufacturers, retailers, and service providers. Comparable not-for-profit structure funded by tiered manufacturer and retailer memberships, with proprietary market research and industry advocacy products similar to TIA's State of the Industry reports.
• American Sportfishing Association: US trade association representing the sportfishing industry, supported by manufacturer and retailer members and producing industry research, advocacy, and growth initiatives. Comparable single-sport trade association model with similar member-funded research and advocacy operations.
• National Sporting Goods Association: US sporting goods retailer trade association providing market data, retail performance reports, and advocacy to sporting goods retailers. Directly comparable membership and research-driven model serving a similar retail customer base to TIA's retailer and facility members.
• International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association: Global trade association for health, fitness, and racquet sports club operators, offering industry research, benchmarking, advocacy, and educational programming. Directly comparable membership-driven trade association model serving sports club operators that overlap with TIA's facility and club member base.
• Sports & Fitness Industry Association: US-based trade association for the sports and fitness industry, providing market research, advocacy, and member services to manufacturers and retailers. Closely comparable business model to TIA — recurring membership dues funded by industry participants, proprietary participation and wholesale data products, and B2B trade publications.
• National Ski Areas Association: US trade association for ski area operators and snow sports suppliers, providing industry research, safety programs, and advocacy. Similar trade association model serving facility operators and equipment manufacturers with a recurring membership structure and research publications.

Broad incumbents

• PGA of America: Major US golf industry organization representing golf professionals and supporting the broader golf economy. Compares as a larger, broader-scope incumbent trade and professional association in an adjacent individual racquet-and-club-based sport with similar member-funded research and education functions.

Regional players

• World Squash Federation: International governing body for squash that also produces participation and market data for the global squash industry. Comparable racquet-sport industry organization but operating internationally rather than US-only, making it a regional/geographic analog rather than a direct US competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tennisindustry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/701621
• Xx.com/tennisindustry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tennis Industry Association