REED SWEATT FAMILY TENNIS CENTER IN MINNEAPOLIS, ONE OF 13 TENNIS FACILITIES HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE AS A 2015 USTA FACILITY AWARD WINNER

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The USTA has announced that the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis 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 Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center will be honored at the USTA Semi-annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Sept. 6.

Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center is home to an inspiring spectrum of diverse players from children to players in their late 90’s. The facility welcomes some 3,500 players through its revolving doors each week with 1,210 court hours logged each week. Nestled in Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, part of the number one public park system in the nation, the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center supports free and low-cost programming to help unleash the potential of under-resourced youth.

Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center is named in honor of the ICT founders Lachlan Reed and Harold Sweatt who created InnerCity Tennis in 1952 to provide opportunities for urban youth to thrive and prosper within the lifetime sport of tennis.

“Great tennis facilities like the Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center 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. “Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center 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, Va.

Cherokee Town and Country Club – Atlanta