Tennis in Schools
From the Classroom to the Court!
Classroom to the Court!
The USTA Net Generation Schools program is dedicated to introducing more young players to tennis by making the sport accessible during and after school hours. USTA Southern California supports this mission by offering teacher training sessions, free tennis equipment, and grade- and age-appropriate curricula.
Whether you’re a PE teacher teaching tennis for the first time or a seasoned coach working with middle or high school teams, the USTA equips you with the tools, resources, and training needed to succeed both on and off the court.
Training & Curriculum
The Net Generation schools curriculum was developed with teachers in mind. Created in conjunction with SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators), a leading organization that sets the standards for health and physical education across the country, the program is easy, customizable and designed for anyone – no previous tennis experience needed!
USTA Southern California offers school districts and physical education teachers the opportunity to host (at no expense) an in-person professional development session, which will be run by USTA SoCal staff. To qualify, the host must bring together ten staff/faculty for two hours in an activity space such as a gym or blacktop. It’s the first step in bringing tennis programming to your students!
The USTA Net Generation school curricula was developed for Physical Education teachers and their class structure. With turnkey lesson plans, created in conjunction with SHAPE America (The Society of Health and Physical Educators), teachers are given the proper tools to teach tennis. Lesson plans are based on the SHAPE America National Standards and grade-level outcomes for K-12 Physical Education.
The USTA is proud to support tennis programming for school children across Southern California, providing essential equipment at no charge. Included in the equipment package are 30 racquets, 18 red felt tennis balls and 18 foam tennis balls, two rolls of barrier tape, a box of chalk, a hard copy of USTA Schools curriculum, and a convenient equipment rolling bag.
If you’re interested in training, curriculum, and/or registering for a Schools Tennis kit, please sign in to or create a USTA account and register your school today!
Please reach out to Sammie Xiao at sxiao@scta.usta.com for more information.
After School Programs
Tennis is the perfect addition to your after school program, and USTA Southern California is here to help you get started!
Explore the toggles below for more information.
Contact Camille Hanson at chanson@scta.usta.com to schedule a Community Workshop for your staff. The location can be at your site. Workshops can be held at your location, and tennis courts are not required—any blacktop surface or gymnasium will work.
Once your staff has completed the Community Workshop, submit the request form to receive the equipment package (one per site). To use the equipment, all participants must be Safe Play Approved. Please complete the short Safe Play approval process here.
USTA SoCal will send a PDF version of the three-level curriculum via email.
After completing your first programming session, submit the partnership follow-up form to request additional resources for continuing your tennis program. This form must be completed for any additional equipment or training requests to be approved.
Our USTA Southern California Community Workshop is designed for after school staff running programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. The training is an interactive, in-person day of team building designed to teach your staff basic tennis skills, drills, and games. No tennis background is necessary, it is meant for your intro into teaching basic tennis! The workshop ranges from 1.5-3 hours depending on the number of participants.
After the workshop, each participating site receives a free Community Kit equipment package as well as a PDF of the 6-8 week Net Generation curriculum for your staff to run regular programming.
> COMMUNITY KIT
– 20 junior racquets (Racquets are 23’ and 25’. Modifications upon request, such as 27’ racquets if you are teaching high schoolers on a tennis court.)
– 18 red balls, 18 orange balls
– Net tape (Pop-up nets upon request depending on our resources available at the time.)
– Spots/throw-down lines
– Backpack
> Desert Sands USD, Riverside County
> Riverside USD (HEARTS), Riverside County
> Lucia Mar USD (Bright Futures), San Luis Obispo County
> City of McFarland Parks & Recreation, Kern County
> City of Delano Parks & Recreation, Kern County
> City of Shafter Parks & Recreation, Kern County
> City of LA Parks & Recreation, LA County
> Westside USD, LA County
> Boy Scouts of America, LA County
> Home Field Advantage, LA County
> Alta Loma USD (EXPLORE), San Bernardino County
> Boys & Girls Club of Imperial Valley, Imperial County
> Holtville USD (ELOP), Imperial County
> Mission Scholars Santa Barbara County
“I am so grateful for the support of the USTA, allowing me to implement a street tennis workshop in the streets of Cali, Colombia in 2023 and again in 2024. This year, we will be traveling to impoverished communities in Argentina in July 2025 to launch “Ace Your Dreams” Tennis and Goal-Setting workshops for at-risk youth.”
– Mission Scholars
“The community kits are fantastic! The students love the minions and they are a huge help for our programs.”
– Home Field Advantage
Please contact Camille Hanson at chanson@scta.usta.com.
