Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Allen.
Hi Rob, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Tennis is now my life, but it was not always. I actually did not play much until I got to college. I attended Brigham Young University (BYU) and competed on their racquetball team. After my first child was born, I quit the team, but I needed something to stay active and competitive–so I signed up for a tennis class. I immediately became hooked.
I continued to train almost constantly and learn all I could for several years. I then got involved in coaching. First, I started teaching tennis classes at BYU and built a pool of private students. I was then hired by Provo High School to be their head tennis coach. It was after I finished my first year coaching high school that I started looking for ways to get more kids involved in tennis, and I noticed a big problem–youth tennis is weird. If a parent wants to sign up their child for any other sport–basketball, football, soccer, baseball, etc., then they just need to join a local team.
On the other hand, if a parent wants to sign up their child for tennis, then their options are 1) private lessons; 2) private tennis club, or 3) a week-long summer camp through the city. The first two options are expensive, difficult, and exclusive. The third option is limited and short in duration. Having grown up outside of tennis, but involved in many other sports, this seemed crazy to me, and I decided to try to do something about it. In fall 2015, I set out to organize a middle school girls’ tennis team for students in Provo. I hired a coach for the team and sent out a few flyers to let kids and parents know about this new team. When we arrived for that first practice, we were shocked to find over 60 girls had shown up.
I frantically worked to line up several more coaches to help with this massive team. Seeing such a big response got me thinking that there really was a need here and that this need likely existed elsewhere. That winter I worked to see if we could expand this, and in the spring of 2016, we launched Utah Youth Tennis (originally called Utah Valley Tennis), with boys and girls middle school teams in Provo and Alpine School Districts. That first spring we had four boys teams and six girls teams. Since then we have grown tremendously every year, to where now we have over 100 teams and thousands of players each year throughout Utah County.
We have begun expansion into Salt Lake County and St. George as well. In addition to our middle school tennis teams, we also run elementary tennis teams, high school off-season teams, adult group lessons, and pickleball programs. We are by far the largest tennis club in Utah and one of the largest in the country. I certainly have not done it alone.
Our coaches are the heart and soul of our organization, and the work they do every day with these young students is incredible. Our administrative team is incredibly talented and they keep this rapidly growing ship afloat. The parents and players have been incredibly supportive. We are so grateful to them for their help and support along the way.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have definitely had our challenges along the way, but I feel we certainly have been blessed. Our biggest struggles usually revolve around finding enough coaches for our ever-growing number of teams and players.
With our large numbers, I have had to learn that I cannot please everyone and that we will inevitably make mistakes, though we certainly do our best to provide the best experience possible to everyone that we can. Initially, most of the middle schools were hesitant to or not interested in working with us, but as we got established in a few schools the rest came around and it has turned out to be a really great thing for the students and the communities.
It took a long time for us to scale large enough to be sustainable, so I worked long hours for several years with very little income. Having a young growing family certainly made things difficult and stressful at times. Thankfully, my wife was very supportive of what I was trying to accomplish.
We’ve been impressed with Utah Youth Tennis (UYT), but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Utah Youth Tennis (UYT) has one mission: To make tennis more affordable and accessible to every child and to provide students the opportunity to participate on a tennis team. We believe strongly in the benefits of organized sports, especially of being on a team.
Tennis for a long time has been exclusive, expensive, and secluded. We are here to bring it to the masses and allow kids the benefits of playing on a team before they get to high school. Tennis is an incredible sport, with so many benefits. It is a relatively safe and healthy sport and is one that can be played for a lifetime. It is an incredibly mental sport and trains students to be strong physically and mentally.
Our programs are open to all students, regardless of previous experience–all are invited. Whether it a someone who is already passionate about tennis and looking for some more organized practice and match opportunities, someone who is brand new and wants to learn the sport, or even someone who just wants something fun to do after school with friends, there is something for everyone.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Nothing new ever happens without risk, and nothing great ever happens without the risk of failure (and usually without actually failing a few times along the way). I had started other ventures before this one that had failed, but I have learned a lot and each failure led to new opportunities.
It was a large risk to spend all my time working to build this organization, something that had never been done before and with no guarantee of success, with a growing family and very little income. It certainly is not for everyone, but if it works out it can be incredibly rewarding. Additionally, nothing is ever guaranteed.
Laws could change, economies could shift, regulations could adjust, and Utah Youth Tennis could die. If that happened, I could look back and say it was still worth it. It has been an incredibly fun ride so far. I hope to continue and expand, but at the same time, I am grateful for each moment and all I have learned along the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: utahyouthtennis@gmail.com
- Website: utahyouthtennis.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utahyouthtennis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UtahYouthTennis
