Future of the Anguilla Tennis Academy
FUTURE PLAN – CONSTRUCTION OF 2000 SEAT STADIUM COURT
The Stadium Court is the final piece of the puzzle of the overall Anguilla Tennis Academy Master plan that has been carefully crafted and unravelled through dedicated work and sacrifice over the past fifteen years. The impact of this final investment in terms of institution building will be mammoth. It will trigger an unprecedented wave of publicity and interest and will place the ATA on a strategic plateau where it can attract an international and regional sustainable flow of technical and financial resources for the development of the youth of Anguilla and the region. Synergies with access to further educational opportunities in tennis, ancillary sports (table tennis, chess etc.) and the academic arenas will be realized, providing a significant boost to youth development. Educational opportunities will not only center on the improvement of the individual’s game of tennis, but also boost human resource development in the area of the planning, management and the further development of the game on a broader scale.
Socially, a main stadium would bring a sense of prestige that would draw in top players near and far to compete against the programs youth. This would afford the Anguillan players many new opportunities including networking with a variety of tennis coaches and players, building confidence by playing in front of large crowds, raise the level of competition the youths are exposed to, and finally it will afford new experiences which may increase the interest of college admissions committees. The stadium court would enable more scholarships, provide new experiences that would enrich the players’ lives, and finally build the confidence necessary to take on life’s toughest challenges.
The stadium court would play a critical role in both the economic and social growth of the program. Economically it can increase the overall revenue of the program, while also providing non-tennis related revenue streams. The stadium venue can be leveraged to draw in top players, host exhibition, and host tennis circuit matches where tickets, snacks, and merchandise can be sold. Alternatively the stadium can be rented out to local social groups and gatherings to provide non-tennis related revenue. The income that the venue will generate will allow the ATA to raise additional scholarship money and increase Anguilla's international tennis profile, all benefiting the children.
Bottom Line
The ATA has one of the strongest and fastest growing grass-root tennis programs in the Caribbean. Since inception more than 3,000 children from Anguilla, the Caribbean, and other International locations have benefited from its programs. After the completion of the Stadium Court, the ATA will become the “Tennis Mecca” of the Caribbean. It will provide opportunities for the youth of Anguilla and the Greater Caribbean through the sport of tennis while strengthening the sense of community, knowledge, and health.
As the most highly regarded non-profit tennis facility of its kind in the region, an investment to complete its vision and impact for youth development will be well spent. This precious investment and its ensuing impact, will be carefully managed and leveraged by a professional management team and supported by long time friends of the academy within the local, regional and international communities who have already committed much time, energy, expertise and financial resources over the years to create the reality we have today. This investment will empower the ATA to become a self sustaining beacon on the island furthering its reach and depth in fulfilling its sole purpose to optimize the full potential of our nation’s and region’s youths. The benefits of this project will indeed touch and shape the lives of thousands of youths over several generations.
