American Tennis Association

What American Tennis Association does

The American Tennis Association (ATA) is a private, nonprofit membership organization founded on November 30, 1916, in Washington, D.C., recognized as the oldest African American sports organization in the United States. It was established in response to the USLTA's formal policy barring African American players from its competitions, and over 109 years has built a portfolio of national championships, junior development programs, and a section/club network serving predominantly African American and underserved tennis communities across the U.S. The organization reports over 4,700 lifetime members, 4,000+ total members, 95,000+ cumulative tournament participants since 1917, and 65,000+ junior participants across 15+ regional rally cities.

The ATA's core offerings are entirely in-person and event-based: the annual ATA National Championships (held July 27-August 2, 2026 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, FL), Junior Development Programs (youth 10U-18U divisions, with the 18U winner earning a college scholarship), Regional Rallies and the four-city "Prelude to Nationals" tour (Dallas, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago), the Black Tennis Experience (launched 2025, a multi-event program including Awards Gala and Celebrity Pro-Am with ~$1 million local economic impact), the 6 Love Virtual Series, and the ACE Awards and Gala. There is no technology platform, SaaS product, or app; the website (yourata.org) is a Wix-hosted marketing and registration portal.

The ATA's revenue model combines four streams: (1) membership fees across Junior ($15/year, $25/2 years, $500 lifetime), Adult ($30/year, $60/2 years), Family ($80), Section, and Club tiers; (2) tournament registration fees; (3) donations and fundraising (e.g., Giving Tuesday campaigns); and (4) corporate sponsorships at tiered packages ranging from $1,200 (Table Host) to $25,000 (Presenting Sponsor). Strategic partners include USTA, USPTA, UTR, USTA Florida, USTA Eastern, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame; commercial sponsors include Delta, Coca-Cola, Kia, Tennis Warehouse, and Holabird Sports. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, led by President Robert Foster, and operates with 11-50 staff plus volunteer leadership.

Name

American Tennis Association

Legal name

American Tennis Association

Website

https://yourata.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Tennis Association is a 109-year-old nonprofit founded in 1916 that runs national tennis championships, junior development programs, and regional rallies for African American and underserved tennis communities across 15+ U.S. cities, funded via memberships, tournament fees, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Organization / Tennis Association

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash) (MPAKABAF), Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ)

Keywords

• Tennis organization
• Youth tennis development
• Tennis tournament management
• Sports membership association
• Community tennis programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Largo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual, multi-year, and lifetime memberships for individuals, families, sections, and clubs. Junior membership from $15/year, adult from $30/year, family at $80.
2. Tournament Registration Fees: Revenue from national championships and regional tournament entries including the annual National Tournament and Prelude events.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Giving Tuesday campaigns targeting $10,000 to support 200 kids in tennis programs. General donations for youth development in underserved communities.
4. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships at various tiers ($25,000 presenting sponsor down to $1,200 table sponsor) for the Black Tennis Experience event and ongoing partnership opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The American Tennis Association is a nonprofit sports organization that operates the annual ATA National Championships tournament, youth and adult regional rallies across 15+ U.S. cities, and junior development programs. It sells individual, family, section, and club memberships and runs community engagement and educational events (webinars, virtual series, awards gala) to grow tennis participation, particularly within African American and underserved communities.

Product overview

The American Tennis Association (ATA) operates as a membership-based sports organization with a portfolio of programs centered on tennis participation, youth development, and community building. The core offering is the annual ATA National Championships tournament held at the USTA National Campus, complemented by Junior Development Programs (including Regional Rallies across 15+ cities), various membership tiers (Junior, Adult, Family, Section, Club), and event programming such as The Black Tennis Experience (launched 2025), the 6 Love Virtual Series, and the ACE Awards and Gala. The ATA does not offer a technology platform or SaaS product—its offerings are entirely in-person event-based and membership-service oriented.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Tennis Experience: An annual event featuring the National Tournament, Awards Gala, and Celebrity Pro-Am held in Orlando, FL with an economic impact nearing $1 million.

Products and services

• ATA National Championships The premier annual ATA tournament held at the USTA National Campus, featuring youth divisions (10U through 18U), adult open and age-group divisions, and NTRP ratings categories. The Adult Open winner earns a wildcard into a $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit Event, and the Youth 18U winner receives a college scholarship.
• Junior Development Programs ATA youth-focused initiatives including the Junior Development Program founded by Dr. Whirlwind Johnson, Regional Rallies in 15+ cities, and youth tournaments (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U) designed to help junior players progress to collegiate and professional tennis.
• ATA Membership Various membership tiers including Junior Membership ($15 annual, $25 for 2 years, $500 lifetime), Adult Membership ($30 annual, $60 for 2 years), and Family Membership ($80 for family of four). Members receive tournament access, monthly newsletters, merchandise discounts, and invitations to regional rallies.
• The Black Tennis Experience An annual event series featuring the National Tournament, Awards Gala, and Celebrity Pro-Am, celebrating athletic excellence and Black history in tennis.
• Adult & Junior Regional Rallies Competitive and social tennis events held across multiple cities, including the Prelude to ATA Nationals four-city tour. These events promote community building and tennis participation for all skill levels.
• 6 Love Virtual Series A week-long virtual web series hosted by ATA in partnership with USTA, featuring six sessions on diversity and inclusion in tennis, including ATA history, HBCU tennis legacy, champion profiles, and health optimization.
• ACE Awards and Gala Annual awards ceremony celebrating significant figures and organizations in the tennis community, featuring cocktail reception, dinner, and award ceremony.
• NJTL Eastern Cup Youth tennis competition held in partnership with USTA Eastern, bringing together kids ages 12-14 from National Junior Tennis & Learning organizations for team competition and academy visits.

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• USTA FloridamajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 July 2024USTA Florida is the presenting sponsor of the ATA 3rd Annual ACE Awards and Gala, taking place July 18th at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
• USPTAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2021On January 11, 2021, USPTA announced a partnership with the American Tennis Association (ATA) to provide extensive educational opportunities to ATA coaches. This partnership supports coach development and certification.
• USTAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2020USTA sponsored the 6 Love Virtual Series in July 2020. USTA and ATA collaborate on multiple initiatives including the Prelude to Nationals tour and USTA NJTL Eastern Cup partnership.
• UTR (Universal Tennis Rating)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020In July 2020, ATA partnered with UTR to provide two informational webinars to their joint membership on topics including developing children into athletes and introduction to UTR.
• Tennis Industry UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennis Industry United is a collaboration of USTA, USPTA, PTR, INA, TA, and the ATA working together to analyze pressing needs and collaborate on programs in tennis.
• DeltaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDelta sponsors ATA promotional space, supporting the organization's visibility and marketing efforts.
• Coca-ColaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoca-Cola is a sponsor of ATA events and programs, providing marketing and financial support.
• KiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKia sponsors ATA events and programs.
• Tennis WarehouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTennis Warehouse is a sponsor of ATA events.
• International Tennis Hall of FamemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerITHF launched 'Breaking the Barriers' digital museum exhibit in December 2020 featuring 120+ years of Black tennis history. The ATA contributed content including stories of champions who fought racial discrimination.
• Whirlwind Johnson FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Whirlwind Johnson Foundation led by Lange Johnson, grandson of Dr. Whirlwind Johnson who founded the ATA Junior Development Program.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PGA of America: National association for golf professionals that runs member-based services, tournaments, and community programming. PGA's model of professional association + community tournaments is structurally similar to ATA's role in tennis.
• Amateur Athletic Union (AAU): Multi-sport amateur athletic organization running national championships, junior programming, and membership-based leagues. AAU is the broader amateur-sports analogue to ATA's tennis-specific community model.
• YMCA of the USA: Membership-based community recreation organization offering sports programming, youth development, and family activities. The YMCA's community-club membership model and youth-development mission closely parallel ATA's club and family membership offerings.
• International Tennis Hall of Fame: Heritage and recognition body in tennis that co-launched the 'Breaking the Barriers' digital exhibit with ATA. It serves a complementary role in preserving and monetizing tennis history and culture.
• USA Track & Field: National governing body for track and field in the U.S., running national championships, junior development, and membership programs. USA Track & Field is a structural peer as a multi-tiered amateur sports governing body.

Emerging players

• Universal Tennis Rating (UTR): Tennis ratings and event platform that partners with ATA on informational webinars. UTR is a digital-first peer building the player-rating and discovery layer that ATA itself has not built.

Direct peers

• National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL): USTA-affiliated youth tennis and education network. ATA's Junior Development Program and the co-hosted NJTL Eastern Cup are direct functional peers targeting underserved youth in tennis.
• United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA): Professional association for tennis coaches that ATA partners with on coach education and certification. USPTA's membership-based certification model for tennis professionals mirrors ATA's membership model for players and clubs.
• United States Tennis Association (USTA): The official national governing body for tennis in the U.S. ATA is structurally a parallel community-focused tennis association running its own championships, junior development, and membership tiers that overlap with USTA's national programming.
• USTA Florida: Regional section of the USTA that presents the ATA ACE Awards and Gala and co-hosts ATA's National Championship at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, making it a direct operating peer in community tennis programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OfficialATA1916
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-tennis-association-1916
• Instagraminstagram.com/americantennisassociation
• Xx.com/OfficialATA1916

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 American Tennis Association