The 119th Street Tennis Association is a non-profit organization operating under the auspices of Riverside Park Conservancy in New York City. The 119TA is supported by more than 160 members and is dedicated to improving the quality of the tennis facility in New York City's Riverside Park at 119th Street. We organize tournaments, clinics and other related tennis activities.
The courts were totally rebuilt in 1999. In order to oversee the ongoing maintainance of the courts, the 119th Street Tennis Association was formed as a dues paying organization and an active board was established. The Board has worked to secure funding with support from the West Side community. In 2005, we raised $45,000 to resurface the courts with deco turf, thus making our facility like that of the USTA Billy Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY.
Our fundraising efforts were supported by our local State Assemblyman, Daniel O'Donnell who secured Community Capital Assistance Program funding for local initiatives in the amount of $50,000 for the Riverside Park Conservancy ($30,000 was earmarked for the tennis courts). Thereafter Columbia University donated $10,000 and the USTA $5,000 under their Adopt-A-Court program. Fundraising involves a lot of time, tenacity and execution. The 119TA owes 'a big thank you' to the Riverside Park Conservancy, who have undertaken a great deal of 'constructive paper' pushing' on our behalf.
We should also acknowledge the administrative personnel at RPC who support us with their accurate 'checks and balances', which in turn helps us enormously with the budgeting of windscreens, new nets and other items, such as brooms and squeegees to keep the courts in tip-top shape.
We are always seeking suggestions and new volunteers. Please contact us at moc.liamg|cossAsinneTht911#moc.liamg|cossAsinneTht911 for further information or to get involved with our activities.
For more information about the Bird Sanctuary that surrounds the tennis courts at 119th St. you can visit this page at the informative neighborhood site Morningside Heights. There you will find a useful map and pictures of the neighborhood, including our tennis courts undergoing reconstruction.