Cincinnati breaks ground on $10 million center for youth sports and study
The First Serve Tennis and Education Center will add 800 hours of after-school programming annually in Norwood.
By Anthony Lawson ·
The Cincinnati Tennis Foundation began construction on a new facility that aims to remove financial and logistical barriers for local youth. The organization states that 75.1% of children in households earning less than $25,000 do not participate in organized sports in the Greater Cincinnati area. The new center is designed to address these gaps by combining athletic training with academic support.
The project, known as the First Serve Tennis and Education Center, has secured over $8 million of its $10 million goal. The First Serve Community Fund provided a cornerstone gift of $3.5 million to kickstart the effort. This funding supports the Rally for Dreams campaign, which seeks to establish a permanent home for tennis, education, and community programming.
The building will feature indoor tennis and pickleball courts, classrooms, and a community hub. It will also include a kitchen and fully accessible amenities. Matthew Dektas, CEO of the Cincinnati Tennis Foundation, emphasized that the space is not just for playing sports. He noted that classrooms will fit nearly 100 kids and that a full-time educator will lead daily sessions in math, reading, nutrition, and financial literacy.
"So, it’s really important to us that this is not just a bunch of tennis courts," Dektas said. "We have a very integral community hub space. It’s going to have classrooms to fit almost 100 kids. We’re going to have kids receiving nutrition, math, reading, and financial literacy every day, with a full-time educator." He added that students will also play tennis and pickleball, and potentially other sports.
Once complete, the center is expected to serve at least 50 young people every day. It will add 800 hours of after-school programming annually. The foundation also expects the facility to double the number of youth and athletes with physical or intellectual disabilities it serves each year.
Construction is currently underway at 1920 Tennessee Ave. in Norwood. The site was selected to ensure accessibility for residents who face transportation challenges. The foundation broke ground on the project on Wednesday.
The center is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2027. It will operate as a year-round campus, offering consistent access to sports and academic resources regardless of the season.
