POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Southern College is getting a major facility upgrade courtesy of a $31,000 Tennis Venue Services grant from the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
The funding is earmarked for the resurfacing of 10 tennis courts on the campus, which serves as the home base for the college’s NCAA Division II tennis programs. School officials noted that the upgraded courts will allow Florida Southern to maintain its high-level training environment for student-athletes while simultaneously accommodating a busy slate of local community events and national collegiate tournaments.
“We are super excited to have received this grant from the USTA. This will assist our programs in resurfacing our tennis courts and ensure we remain one of the premier Division II facilities in the country,” said Trish Riddell, Florida Southern College’s Head Women’s Tennis Coach. “We pride ourselves on what we can offer our students, and a quality facility helps us achieve this goal. The resurfacing also allows us to continue to host numerous events, both community-based and national collegiate competitions. We strive to continue to grow the game of tennis within our community as well as having our teams compete at the highest level of the collegiate game.”
The allocation comes from the USTA’s Tennis Venue Services (TVS) grant program, an initiative aimed at upgrading current tennis spaces and building new ones to boost playing opportunities nationwide. The USTA expanded the grant program in 2025 to keep pace with a growing demand for courts as tennis participation spikes across the country.
Historical data provided by the organization shows that since 2005, the TVS grant program has handed out more than $34 million. That figure includes a massive $16 million push in 2025 alone, which funded nearly 300 separate projects and impacted more than 2,500 courts.
“We are committed to supporting the enhancement and construction of tennis facilities in communities across the country,” said Theodore Loehrke, the USTA’s Managing Director of Section Partnerships. “Investing in the development of tennis facilities nationwide helps support the USTA’s mission of growing tennis to inspire healthier people and communities everywhere.”
Beyond the direct financial injection, Florida Southern College will receive end-to-end project management assistance from the USTA’s specialized TVS team. This technical support includes construction document reviews, facility design consultation, and business development insights aimed at ensuring the site can successfully deliver top-tier tennis programming.
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