Midtown Athletic Club has launched a new community tennis initiative honouring the legacy of its late founder, Alan Schwartz, committing to help expand access to the sport in underserved communities across Chicago.
Developed in partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), USTA Midwest and the Chicago Park District, the Alan G Schwartz Community Tennis Program will deliver free and low-cost coaching at 43 parks across the city over the next 20 years.
Midtown Athletic Club and the Schwartz family are providing US$750,000 towards a US$2 million fundraising campaign that will support the programme.
Alongside the financial commitment, Midtown’s team of tennis professionals has trained USTA coaches to deliver high-quality instruction using a shared curriculum designed to create safe, welcoming and accessible tennis experiences for people of all ages and abilities.
The initiative will offer Adult Tennis 101 classes, youth coaching and fitness-based tennis sessions, with the programmes designed to remove financial barriers to participation through free and low-cost access, with organisers aiming to increase opportunities for communities that have traditionally had limited access to the sport.
The programme has been established in honour of Alan Schwartz, who co-founded Midtown Tennis Club with his father in 1970 and went on to become one of the most influential figures in American tennis. A former president of the USTA and vice president of the International Tennis Federation, Schwartz spent decades championing grassroots participation and promoting tennis as a sport capable of building confidence, improving health and creating opportunity. He died in December 2022 at the age of 91.
Steven Schwartz, CEO of Midtown Athletic Clubs, said: “My father founded Midtown with a simple but powerful belief: tennis has the ability to change lives. One of the things I admired most about him was his commitment to bringing the sport to young people who otherwise might not have had access to it.
“He believed tennis could build confidence, create opportunity and connect people across backgrounds and communities. The Alan G. Schwartz Community Tennis Program carries that vision forward by helping more people experience the benefits of the game. For our family and for everyone at Midtown, this initiative is both a tribute to his legacy and an investment in the next generation.”
The fundraising campaign will also support equipment, coach development and park infrastructure. Midtown estimates that a donation of US$50 will fund six weeks of coaching for one young participant, while US$3,000 will provide instruction for an entire day camp.
Midtown Athletic Club operates luxury fitness, tennis and wellness clubs across the US and Canada and has increasingly positioned racquet sports as a core part of its health and wellness offering. The Alan G. Schwartz Community Tennis Program extends that strategy beyond its own clubs, supporting wider participation while creating a lasting legacy for the company’s founder.
