Tennis Technology Tuesday
Yesterday I wrote about the results of an internet search for “learn to play tennis.” I intentionally did not mention the first paid advertisement that came up as a result of that query. The ad I was served was for the PlayYourCourt tennis community. This is a perfect segue to return to the topic of TennisLink.
PlayYourCourt is a private tennis company that provides a social media connection platform for tennis players. Their mission statement is to help grow tennis by making it easier to find lessons and practice partners. Through a subscription to the site, players gain access to a directory of coaches and players in various geographic areas.
I have never used the PlayYourCourt platform. The reason for this is because at the point that platform came into viable existence, my tennis life was already pretty full. I personally don’t have a need for their services. However, I am fairly confident that had they existed when I was returning to tennis following my brief 28 year hiatus from the game, that I would have been a subscriber.
Strengths-Weakness-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis is a cornerstone of any strategic plan. I assume that the USTA performed many iterations of SWOT analysis as a part of overall restructuring process that lead to the five strategic pillars announced in June. I would also assume that a SWOT analysis was performed that was specific to tournament participation.
The fact that the USTA has paid engagement and high participation in USTA organized tennis activities at a national level is an undeniable strength of the organization. While the near monopoly that the USTA once enjoyed has waned somewhat, it is still the dominant engagement force in the tennis consumer market.
One way to view third party tennis engagement platforms is as threats to the USTA organization. An alternative way to view those products and services is that they are helping the USTA by illuminating where opportunities exist.
PlayYourCourt only exists because the USTA did not capitalize on its dominant market position. There are other third party tennis platforms where the same statement would also be applicable. TennisLink, as the embodiment of the digital engagement platform, is a long standing weakness of the USTA.
The services that PlayYourCourt provides should have been integrated into the digital infrastructure of the USTA long before that company came into existence. In fact, the fact that the USTA had an existing membership should have created an insurmountable barrier to entry before PlayYourCourt was ever founded.
In order to develop and grow tennis, the USTA needs to leverage its dominant member base to establish itself as the ultimate connectivity mechanism that brings players together. I have high hopes that Serve Tennis is being structured to capitalize on the strengths of the USTA. Growing the game of tennis depends on it.
- https://www.playyourcourt.com/
- USTA Announces Sweeping Plan to Reorganize and Prioritize Its Structure, Events, and Activities to Grow the Game and Service the Broader Tennis Industry, USTA Official Press Release, hosted on Open Court website, viewed 8/2/2020.
- Serve Tennis: New Tools for a New Future, USTA National Website, viewed 8/3/2020.
