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Sportmen’s Tennis Club to host major tournament

Jacquinn Williams
Sportmen’s Tennis Club to host major tournament
DiAndrea Galloway of Mattapan is one of the juniors who will compete in the $50,000 tournament next week. (Photo: Sportsmen’s Tennis Club)

Author: Sportsmen’s Tennis ClubDiAndrea Galloway of Mattapan is one of the juniors who will compete in the $50,000 tournament next week.

The Sportsmen’s Tennis Club will host the U.S. Tennis Association’s Pro Circuit Women’s $50,000 Challenger Tournament June 19-26.

A neighborhood fixture for more than 50 years, the Sportsmen’s Tennis Club is a nonprofit that offers a lot more than just recreational tennis. According to its mission statement, the club’s hope is to raise academically and physically healthy young adults with a passion for learning and a commitment to excellence in all facets of life.

The organization, located on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester, uses tennis as a vehicle through which life lessons are learned and character is developed.

Appointed three years ago, Toni Wiley is Sportsmen’s latest executive director. She says she is looking to make the club a more integral part of the community.

“I’ve been spending time making sure the organization — though we’re a nonprofit — is run like a business,” Wiley said. “If you don’t attend to the financials, then you’re up for a struggle. I’ve also been working on creating more partnerships with schools.”

Prior to Sportsmen’s, Wiley was the executive director at One Family, Inc. and the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, where she developed a national purchasing consortium. Wiley, who joined a women’s tennis team after becoming the executive director,  grew up in Dorchester.  

She’s also working hard to make sure the club is staying a step or two ahead of its constituents by offering solutions to the issues that plague the community, such as low graduation rates and obesity.

“The club is really focused on increasing academic outcomes and overall health,” Wiley said.

 Kids are encouraged to play and invite their friends for friendly competition as well as exercise. After the games are through, the club has after-school programs to help kids with homework. Sportsmen’s also offers a summer camp.

“Six days a week, there are programs that are academically focused,” Wiley said. “We have SAT prep two times a year and a GED program.” Sportsmen’s Tennis Club is the one of the first African American owned tennis clubs in the country. Burgeoning with rich programming for youth and plenty of play for adults, the club’s offerings are worth the annual fee of $150. There are seven indoor and seven outdoor courts and the club is open all year.

As staff prepares for the major tournament where more than 22 countries will be represented (including France, Japan and Germany) Jandayia Lubin and DiAndrea Galloway are getting ready to live out a dream. The two 15 year olds will be playing in the “wild card” doubles tournament.

Both have been coming to the club for 10 years and Wiley said that they are some of the club’s stronger players.

The tournament is something that everyone connected to the club looks forward to every year and Wiley is excited to see two of the club’s own participate.

“I want the kids to see firsthand what it’s like to pursue their dreams,” Wiley said. “I want them to feel that passion.”

The tournament is free and open to the public. For ticket information, call 617-288-9092.