We talked with Martha Ehrenfeld, a longtime tennis lover and Co-Chair of the Tennis Coalition of SF. Read on to learn more about the local leaders and community behind the renovated Goldman Tennis Center in Golden Gate Park!
“The Tennis Coalition was formed by a group of volunteers who wanted to renovate the Golden Gate Park Tennis Center, and other city courts. We saw that many public courts were falling into a state of disrepair and decided to advocate for change. We held our first meeting in 2004, but our project didn’t really get moving until 2014.
We began the capital campaign with SF Rec & Park, eventually raising $27M for the renovation. After securing an architect, we held community meetings where many constituents came to voice their concerns, speak to their love of the facility, and learn more about the project.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held in April 2019 and the doors to the new facility opened in March 2021. Since then, the Tennis Center has been an agent for change across tennis and pickleball in the city.
So many more people are now dusting off their racquets, taking lessons, and high school and college teams have returned to practice and play matches here. With the addition of new lighting, the facility is buzzing morning to night. Friday nights are especially fun – with group lessons, matches, families having fun and more!”
“So many more people are now dusting off their racquets, taking lessons, and high school and college teams have returned to practice and play matches here.“
“Throughout the process, SF Parks Alliance has been our fiscal sponsor, providing admin support and helping us find funding opportunities.
Today, the Tennis Coalition continues to advocate for public tennis and create community at Goldman Tennis Center and beyond. We believe that tennis should be accessible to everyone, as it helps young people become more confident and resilient adults.
If you’re looking to get involved, we welcome volunteers for all of our community events. If anyone needs advice on how to advocate for their neighborhood courts, we’re always happy to talk!
For those looking to start their own community project: be patient and get community leaders involved early. There is a delicate balance between keeping your community engaged and still moving the project forward.
It’s hard to get projects done in San Francisco – but when you do, it’s incredibly rewarding.”