Surprise Tennis & Racquet Facility

By Dale Shepard

In this issue, we will be highlighting the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Facility. John Austin, Tennis Operations Director, has an impressive tennis bio. John is a Wimbledon Champion and comes from the USTA’s Tennis Family of the Year for 2006. The Austin family name should be familiar with tennis fans. John’s sister is Tracy Austin. 

One would think that the most impressive aspect of this tennis facility is that there will be 25 tennis courts, along with a clubhouse and a pro shop. However, there are other factors that deserve to be recognized for a project of this magnitude. First off, the City of Surprise engineered an “Impact Fee” that is accessed to all new builds within their community. They are projecting that the fee will generate about 30 million dollars over the next several years. From those fees, Parks and Recreation will receive 25% for capital improvements.

Completion date for the facility is projected for July. At this time, there will be a soft opening followed by a grand opening in October. Located off Paradise Lane near the intersection of Bullard Avenue and Bell Road, the facility will feature 25 post-tension courts. The courts will be done in US Open blue and green colors. The facility will provide a variety of programs from league play to drop-ins and clinics. In addition, it will be hosting national tournaments, such as the Sweet 16 and others.  The facility will have accommodations for indoor racquetball/ squash courts and pickleball courts.

Mr. Austin is excited to be a part of this project. The growing demographic in Surprise is young families. There are 19 elementary schools and 3 high schools that reflect that fact. The park right next door to the tennis center is quite a project as well. I highly encourage folks to take a drive past the facility and look at all the amenities that the City of Surprise is working to create.

Being a tennis pro myself, it is encouraging to see the game of tennis growing. It is no secret that here in Arizona we have lost tennis courts and two pro tournaments in Scottsdale. There is a misconception that tennis is a dying sport. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Tennis is the only participation sport in 2006 to show any growth. Tennis grew 8% last year and those figures are even higher here in Arizona.

The single most encouraging thing I see with the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Facility is John Austin’s desire to work with other tennis centers in the area.

John’s desire is to partner with the tennis centers in the surrounding areas, such as Sun City and Glendale. With tennis centers like Paseo Racquet Center, Sun City Grand, R.H.  Johnson and others, we can present organizers of national tournaments more than 80 tennis courts for their events. With a growing Westside demographic the tourism industry stands to gain quite a bit from cities, like Surprise, that have the foresight to fund and build facilities like this one. The City of Surprise truly came up with an ingenious plan to build for the future.  I applaud them for their creativity.