Tennis for America and College Tennis Update

Summary

Dave Mullins, ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) staff member responsible for building and launching Tennis for America, joins Lisa Stone for a dual-agenda episode: the structure and current progress of Tennis for America (an AmeriCorps-funded service-year program for post-college tennis players) and a live assessment of the 2021 college tennis spring season during COVID. Tennis for America places former college tennis players as VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) fellows at NJTL (National Junior Tennis and Learning) sites across the country, with stipend support of $1,000-$1,700/month plus relocation assistance, and concludes with a $1,800 cash award or $6,500 toward student debt/continuing education. Year 1 launched in June-August 2020 with 8 VISTAs at 4 sites; Year 2 targeting 12 VISTAs at 8 sites. The college tennis season is running in January 2021 with reduced kickoff draw (28 teams at 7 sites, down from 15 sites) and essentially no in-person fans.

Guest Background

Dave Mullins joined the ITA in August 2019, with Tennis for America development as an explicit expectation from the interview process. He is Irish (was back in Ireland for three years before joining ITA), played college tennis at Fresno State, and brings a perspective shaped by Gaelic sports culture — where players who age out of contact sports naturally migrate to volunteer governance because playing is no longer an option, keeping them engaged in the sport’s infrastructure. He notes this doesn’t happen in tennis because players can continue playing recreationally indefinitely and never feel the compulsion to give back institutionally. He is based at the ITA and reachable at dmullens@itatennis.com.

Key Findings

1. Tennis for America: Structure, Funding, and Scope

Tennis for America is a service-year program built on AmeriCorps VISTA infrastructure. The federal government funds the stipend ($1,000-$1,700/month depending on county cost of living), a relocation stipend (up to $750), and an end-of-service award ($1,800 cash or $6,500 toward student debt or further education). The ITA supplements with housing support, professional development (LinkedIn workshop example), and a graduation ceremony. Year 1: 8 VISTAs placed at 4 NJTL sites in 4 cities, launched June-August 2020 during COVID. Year 2: 8 sites, targeting 12 VISTAs. Year 3 target: expand to other NCAA sports (conversations underway with lacrosse, volleyball, soccer). Applications open now (at time of episode) at tennisforamerica.com.

2. Eligibility: Not Limited to Four-Year Players

Eligibility is flexible: it does not require four full years of college tennis, a scholarship, or even varsity-level play. Club tennis players and PTM (Professional Tennis Management) graduates are eligible. Mullins notes the program is ultimately designed for any NCAA student athletes, not just tennis players — tennis is the pilot because of the NJTL infrastructure that provides immediate placement sites. Players who left college early to attempt the pro tour and are now in a career gap (COVID significantly expanded this population) are specifically named as strong candidates.

3. The Volunteer Gap: Why Tennis Players Don’t Give Back

Mullins identifies a structural feature of tennis that inhibits former players from volunteering in governance and community roles: the sport can be played for life. In contrast, former Gaelic football, hurling, or rugby players in Ireland cannot participate competitively past a certain age, which creates the compulsion to stay connected through volunteering and governance. In tennis, former players stay engaged as players — they never feel the gap that motivates community investment. Tennis for America is designed to institutionalize the bridge between playing career and giving back by creating a specific pipeline during the transition window.

4. The ITA Alumni Network: Job Board and Recruiting Channel

The ITA has been building an alumni network (managed by Cory Pegram at ITA) designed to connect former college tennis players with employment opportunities at alumni-owned companies, mentoring relationships, and community engagement pathways. This network also feeds Tennis for America applications — alumni from previous years who see the opportunity posted on the job board. The alumni network and Tennis for America are designed to be mutually reinforcing: VISTAs are mentored by alumni, and VISTAs become future alumni network members who recruit the next cohort.

5. The Influence Gap: College Tennis Players Underestimate Their Status

Mullins makes an observation about how college tennis players underestimate their cultural capital in their university communities. His example: a University of Oklahoma tennis player from Los Angeles doesn’t understand how iconic the OU tennis player identity is to kids in Norman, Oklahoma City, or Edmond. “Even the number seven player on the tennis team doesn’t understand just how much influence and impact they can have on their communities.” Tennis for America is designed to operationalize that influence — placing VISTAs in communities where their college athlete identity will carry specific weight with junior players.

6. COVID College Tennis Season: Spring 2021 Status

ITA Kickoff Weekend: reduced from 15 sites (14 teams each) to 7 sites (4 teams each) = 28 total teams. Minimal dropouts (2 men’s side, 1 women’s side). Host site changes: Seattle → Stillwater, Oklahoma (women); Chicago → Champaign, Illinois (men). Division I dual match season proceeding; Division II and III starting later, some unsure whether doubles will be permitted. Fans: essentially none — immediate family only possible in some venues. Live streaming: ITA building infrastructure to aggregate college tennis schedules with live scoring and streaming links by conference; individual programs already using PlaySight, YouTube (GoPro/iPad setups), Facebook Live. Season goal: national championships in May “if we can muddle through.”

7. Year 1 Sustainability Lesson: Partner Cost-Sharing

The ITA funded too much in Year 1 — housing, continuing education, graduation ceremony, gas/transit stipends — creating a financial burden on a small organization. Year 2 lesson: shift some costs to NJTL site partners. Partners who provide housing and benefits develop stronger investment in the VISTA’s experience and outcomes. The challenge: not all partners are financially positioned to do this, which creates equity questions about placement site selection.

Actionable Advice for Families

• If your child is graduating from college tennis in the next few months and doesn’t have a clear next-step, Tennis for America is a funded path to meaningful work in the sport with AmeriCorps benefits and a student debt award at completion — tennisforamerica.com
• If your child is in the 1-2 years post-college gap and attempted the pro tour without sustainable results, Tennis for America applications are not limited to current graduates — players in career transition are explicitly named as target candidates
• For college tennis viewing during COVID restrictions: check the ITA website’s PlaySight directory, the program’s athletic department website resources tab, or social media for live scoring and streaming links — the infrastructure is increasingly available even without fans in the stands

INTENNSE Relevance

• Player financial sustainability: Tennis for America is the structural model INTENNSE should study for its own transition program — a formal post-playing-career bridge with stipend support, mentoring, community service, and educational awards; INTENNSE players who finish their league careers could enter a similar pipeline connecting them to youth development roles in INTENNSE communities
• Community building: The NJTL placement model — college athlete with cultural capital embedded in a specific community for a year — is precisely what INTENNSE should design for Atlanta and expansion cities; INTENNSE team players doing community tennis days are not the same as INTENNSE VISTAs embedded full-time in NJTL sites
• Broadcast/storytelling: Mullins’ point about the number seven player on the Oklahoma tennis team being a literal hero in Norman, Oklahoma is a specific observation about college tennis’ community impact that INTENNSE should amplify; the INTENNSE team player equivalent in Atlanta carries the same identity capital for young players in Midtown or Buckhead
• Player recruitment: Tennis for America’s COVID-era targeting of players who left college to try the tour and are now in a gap is exactly INTENNSE’s recruiting moment — players who passed through college, attempted individual pro play, and are now without a viable income structure are the most motivated INTENNSE recruits
• Institutional partnerships: The ITA-NJTL-AmeriCorps VISTA partnership is a model for how INTENNSE can access federal funding streams for community tennis programs — the AmeriCorps VISTA mechanism is available to any 501c3 and does not require existing infrastructure beyond partner NJTL sites
• Alumni network design: The ITA alumni network (job board, company connections, mentoring, community engagement) is the infrastructure INTENNSE should build from year one — creating a formal alumni cohort that feeds future player recruitment, community activation, and institutional credibility

Notable Quotes

“These student athletes have this incredible experience — traveling around the country, learning from coaches, athletic trainers, nutritionists. And young people look up to them like they’re their gods.”

“Even the number seven player on the tennis team doesn’t understand just how much influence and impact they can have on their communities.”

“In Gaelic football or rugby, you get to a certain age you can’t play those sports anymore and you want to stay involved — so you see a lot of former players giving back. In tennis, you’re going to keep playing till you’re 93, so you don’t need that connection.”

“Tennis for America could be a great platform for engaging these athletes and helping them inspire the players coming up behind them to also engage in their local communities.”

“One of the huge attractions of playing college tennis is playing in front of fans. What a shame for these student athletes to miss out on that.”