Latest Research News Presented at the TIA Forum
The second annual TIA Tennis Forum, presented by Tennis Magazine, was held in New York City at the end of August in conjunction with the US Open and the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference. “We want to share some of the good news in this sport,” Tennis Magazine Group Publisher Jeff Williams told the more than 250 attendees.
The group heard about racquet and ball shipments, the new “Tennis Health Index,” new initiatives, the visibility of tennis in mainstream media, and the inaugural inductees into the new Tennis Industry Hall of Fame.
Despite a down economy overall, said TIA President Dave Haggerty, tennis participation in the U.S. has been increasing. He pointed to an SGMA survey of traditional sports that shows tennis has had the largest participation increase, 30.6 percent over the last seven years, far ahead of its nearest rival, golf, which saw a 2.4 percent increase over the same period. Also, according to TIA Census data, total racquet shipments from 2003 through 2007 increased 42 percent and shipments of youth racquets increased by 80 percent. Ball shipments have increased from 113.5 million units in 2003 to 130.6 million through last year.
Key in the measure of tennis activity in the U.S. is the new Tennis Health Index (THI), a composite of six measurements from different sources, including various participation studies, tennis ball data and the Court Activity Monitor, which tracks tennis courts booked. Using 2003 as the baseline (100), the THI is up 10.8 percent through 2007, to 110.8.
USTA Community Tennis Chief Executive Kurt Kamperman noted the growth in participation in a number of USTA programs, including adult tennis leagues, up 28 percent since 2003, and USTA Jr. Team Tennis, up 27 percent since 2004. The new QuickStart Tennis format for kids aged 10 and under debuted this past spring and is generating a lot of interest and publicity, said Kamperman.
If you missed the Forum, you can view and download the research and the full presentation for free at TennisIndustryNews.org.
TIA Update search
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