About ECTA
The Evanston Tennis Association (ECTA) coordinates leagues, tournaments, and recreational events throughout the year for tennis enthusiasts in Evanston and beyond. We were named the 2013 Community Tennis Association of the Year by the USTA/Midwest Section and the 2018 Organization of the Year by Chicago Tennis Patrons.
Six Ways in Which We “Serve” You …
- By coordinating spring/summer leagues, namely Shoreline and CPDTA (Chicago Park District Tennis Association). Join the ECTA for the opportunity to participate in one or both leagues.
- By running annual tournaments, doubles scrambles, and round robins for area players. Our events are not USTA-sanctioned, so a USTA membership is not required for you to participate, and entrants may come from any city or state. Annual opportunities for players are the Spring Doubles Round Robin, the Fourth of July Tournament, the Fall Tournament, the Thanksgiving Doubles Scramble, and the Winter Doubles Scramble. Join the ECTA for the opportunity to participate.
- By supporting youth tennis. We currently support a nonprofit created in 2018 by ECTA board member Ken Rattner and retired board member Don Walton called Youth, Education, and Sports (YES) Evanston—an extension of the United States Tennis Association’s National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) program—which offers after-school tennis instruction and homework help to underserved, at-risk elementary students in the Evanston area in partnership with another Evanston-based organization, Family Focus. In the past, our board members also have been involved in the USTA’s 10 and Under Tennis program.
- By supporting high school tennis. The ECTA has been a longtime supporter of Evanston Township High School (ETHS) tennis programs. For many years, the ECTA scholarship program through which we annually donated $500 each to one ETHS senior girl and one ETHS senior boy; the application included a recommendation from a coach/teacher and an essay about how involvement in tennis has impacted the student’s life. We also donated windscreens for ETHS tennis courts, which are used by the boys’ and girls’ teams.
- By supporting college tennis. Every year, the ECTA purchases seats at Rally With the ‘Cats, a fundraiser that benefits Northwestern University’s Division I (Big 10) men’s and women’s tennis programs.
- By supporting those who support us. In thanks for the Evanston Police Department’s efforts and presence to help monitor the grounds alongside the tennis courts at Ackerman Park during the July 4 finals, the ECTA makes an annual donation to EPD’s fund for fallen officers.