Tennis is more than a sport.
It’s a character builder, confidence booster, and a tool for community connection. Whether you’re seven or 70, tennis is one of the few sports that serves up a lifetime of transformative value.
For young kids, it’s a fun and active way to develop character and coordination. For teens and young adults, it teaches focus and resilience through competition. And for older adults, it becomes an outlet for wellness, friendship, and independence.
Unfortunately, for many kids in Oklahoma City’s urban core, those opportunities never come. But it’s not just an open court they need. They need a clear, connected pathway that welcomes them in and keeps them coming back at every age and every stage.
Why Tennis Matters for Kids
Tennis isn’t just a game kids can grow up playing. It’s a sport they can grow through. As a lifelong activity, it supports physical, mental, and emotional well-being at every age. A 25-year Danish study found that tennis players live an average of 9.7 years longer than their sedentary peers. That was the highest life expectancy gain of any activity in the study, making a strong case for getting kids on the court early and helping them stay engaged for life.
But the benefits of tennis go far beyond fitness. Because tennis is self-refereed at most levels, kids are responsible for calling their own lines, tracking scores, and resolving disputes. These moments help build integrity, accountability, and problem-solving skills that carry into every area of life.
Tennis also creates space for individuality. It’s a sport where players can find their rhythm, express themselves, and grow in confidence, no matter the outcome. For kids who may not feel like they belong in more traditional team sports, tennis can become both a personal outlet and a meaningful point of connection.
A Broken Pathway
For too many kids in Oklahoma City Public Schools, the path to playing tennis stops before it ever really begins. Fortunately, FirstServe OKC provides a strong foundation in elementary school, and the competitive players they’ve kept in the pathway are making an impact on their high school teams. However, the middle school years remain a critical missing link.
The lack of opportunity in 5th and 6th grade, specifically, creates a gap just as many students begin to show interest and develop fundamental skills. Without courts to play on, coaches to guide them, or consistent access to equipment, momentum is lost. And with it, the chance to fall in love with the game.
This opportunity gap hits hardest in under-resourced areas like Oklahoma City Public Schools, where access to extracurricular activities is already limited. Without a clear and continuous pathway, kids who might thrive on the court are left without a way forward.
Tennis can change a young person’s life.
“Tennis can change a young person’s life, and not just physically, but emotionally, socially, and academically,” said David Crynes, Executive Director of Fields & Futures. “But that kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident. It takes resources, intention, and a commitment to building a continuous pathway that gives every urban core student, at every stage, the chance to fall in love with the game and grow through it.”
It All Starts With the First Serve
For more than a decade, First Serve OKC has been changing lives by combining tennis and education in a way that reaches far beyond the court. Through after-school programs, summer camps, and academic support, First Serve provides Oklahoma City youth with access to the game from 3rd through 12th grade. Their work creates structure, accountability, and encouragement at some of the most pivotal moments in a young person’s development.
At its core, First Serve believes in the power of the individual. But it also understands that progress takes a team. With a deep commitment to character development and community impact, First Serve has become a trusted partner in the effort to expand access to tennis in Oklahoma City’s urban core.
“Tennis isn’t a typical team sport, but it takes a team effort to make it accessible,” said Tony Mullican, Executive Director of First Serve OKC. “No one organization can do it alone. When we come together as a community, with shared goals and aligned values, we create more opportunities, reach more kids, and make a bigger, longer-lasting impact.”
It Takes a Team to Build a Pathway
Expanding access to tennis in Oklahoma City takes more than passion. It takes partnership. That’s why Fields & Futures is working alongside First Serve OKC, the Oklahoma City Police Athletic League (OKC PAL), and Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) to strengthen and grow a connected tennis pathway for students of all ages.
Together, these partners are stepping up to fill critical gaps and create new opportunities, starting with the middle school years. This fall, Fields & Futures is linking arms with First Serve and OKC PAL to launch and support a new 5th and 6th-grade tennis league, giving more students the chance to stay active, build skills, and experience the joy of the game. These matches will be played on existing futsal courts, offering a creative solution to limited access to traditional tennis facilities.
Fields & Futures is also working closely with OKCPS Athletics to support the creation of a 7th and 8th-grade league. The goal is to provide a seamless transition from elementary programs into middle school competition, keeping students connected to the sport during a critical window for growth and development.
By directing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds and other funding opportunities toward this shared effort, Fields & Futures is helping ensure leagues, coaches, and athletes have the resources they need to thrive. With collaboration and commitment from each partner, the pathway to play is becoming clearer, stronger, and more inclusive than ever before.
Fall Tennis League Serves Up New Opportunities
This fall, the collaboration becomes reality. With support from Fields & Futures, First Serve OKC and the Oklahoma City Police Athletic League are teaming up to launch a new 5th and 6th-grade tennis league. Students will play matches on the futsal courts at four OKCPS middle schools: Wheeler Middle School, FD Moon Middle School, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, and Southeast Middle School.
Each partner plays a vital role in making this league possible. First Serve brings tennis expertise and program support, including coaching recruitment and engagement, league structure, and tournament planning. OKC PAL handles player recruitment, registration, jerseys, and equipment, and also employs the league’s four coaches while managing rankings and tournament seeding. Fields & Futures supports the league through TANF funding, partnership engagement, futsal court maintenance, marketing, and data tracking to measure long-term impact. OKCPS provides what matters most — the facilities and the students.
The league officially launches the week of September 15 and will feature eight doubles teams per school, totaling 64 players across the program. Teams will practice twice a week, with one day dedicated to skills and drills and the second day focused on mini-matches to build competitive experience.
The season will culminate in a high-energy tournament on November 1, 2025, at Manuel Perez Park in South Oklahoma City. Designed to feel more like a community celebration than a competition, the event will bring a “tennis in the streets” atmosphere to life, complete with music, cheering fans, and a carnival-like spirit that makes every player feel like a champion.
Keeping Girls on the Court
While the new league opens exciting doors for young players this fall, another opportunity demands our attention. In OKCPS, sports participation among female students drops by 8% between 8th and 9th grade. It’s a troubling trend that shows up just when girls need connection, confidence, and community the most. That drop-off doesn’t just reflect a loss of interest. It reveals a lack of access, encouragement, and support.
That’s why Fields & Futures is excited to share that First Serve OKC was awarded a Body Confident grant, provided by Laureus Sport for Good, a targeted effort to increase girls’ participation in tennis. The goal is to build a bridge that keeps girls engaged through the critical transition from middle school to high school, when social pressure and self-doubt can be especially hard to navigate.
The research is clear. Girls who play sports experience higher levels of self-esteem, perform better in school, and are more likely to stay engaged socially and academically. But they need the right environment, the right encouragement, and the right opportunities to stay in the game.
We want every girl to have that same chance to grow through tennis.
“Tennis has shaped so much of who I am. It gave me confidence, taught me resilience, and helped me find my voice,” said Emmy Hufnagel, Development Director at Fields & Futures. “We want every girl to have that same chance to grow through the game and carry those lessons into every part of her life.”
From fall league matches to long-term leadership, keeping girls in the game means creating a culture where they feel seen, supported, and strong. Tennis is the perfect place to start.
A Complete Pathway
Imagine a pathway where every child in Oklahoma City’s urban core has the chance to experience tennis for the first time. A pathway that isn’t paved with circumstance or privilege, but with equal opportunity. A pathway where any kid can pick up a racket in elementary school, sharpen their skills in middle school, and compete with confidence in high school. Along the way, they fall in love with the game and with who they are becoming because of it.
Historically, access and opportunity have determined who gets to play tennis. It has long been a sport shaped by resources, not just talent. By creating a clear and connected pathway that removes barriers and provides consistent support, we can shift that narrative and give every student a chance to play, grow, and stay in the game.
For some, tennis may become a pathway to college. For others, it will be a lifelong outlet for health, friendship, and personal growth. No matter where the sport takes them, the ripple effects are real. Students who stay engaged in sports are more likely to graduate, earn scholarships, and carry healthy habits into adulthood. They learn to lead, to communicate, and to persevere – on and off the court.
Serving Every Kid
We believe tennis should be for everyone. Not just the few who can afford lessons, equipment, and access to courts, but every kid with the curiosity to try and the heart to keep going.
That’s why community matters. When people come together, align around a shared vision, and invest in the next generation, real change happens.
Because when we serve every kid and create a clear pathway, the possibilities are endless.
Pave the Way for Tennis as a Pathway Partner
As a Pathway Partner, you can help us build a stronger, more connected tennis pathway for OKCPS students.
Contact Emmy Hufnagel to explore custom giving game plans that turn your passion for serving up student success into lasting impact through tennis.