During the past year, Executive Director Nora Ryan has led Kings County Tennis League through a period of tremendous growth as our community emerged from the trauma of Covid-19 and its safety protocols while demand for the sport of tennis was at an all-time high. It is with great appreciation for Nora's accomplishments that we share with you her decision to move on to the next chapter of her career, as of July 1.
BROOKLYN, June 16, 2021 — Kings County Tennis League, Inc. (KCTL), a sports-based youth development non-profit that serves children in and around six New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments in Central Brooklyn, today announced the appointment of Nora Ryan as its new Executive Director. Ms. Ryan succeeds Dave Webley, who joined the organization as a volunteer before becoming its first Executive Director, and who will continue consulting with KCTL as Executive Advisor.
Charged with driving the next chapter of growth outlined in KCTL’s strategic plan, Ryan is a senior corporate executive who has transitioned to the non-profit sector, bringing experience building new ventures and leading collaborative partnerships to support community service and social impact. She has directed entertainment, sports and health education services as EVP/Chief of Staff for premium network EPIX, Founding CEO of Sundance Channel and head of marketing and business development at Showtime and AMC Networks. Honored by Variety Magazine on its Power of Women New York list, Nora is passionate about building NYC communities and a champion of the positive power of sports on childhood development. She has an MBA in marketing and finance from Columbia University, where she serves on the Hermes Society and Fundraising Advisory Council.
On Sunday, May 2nd, the Kings County Tennis League community enjoyed a beautiful day full of tennis at Fort Greene Park tennis courts!
The day kicked off with a KCTL and Fort Greene Tennis Association Student Clinic! 20+ kids enjoyed tennis drills and games building basic ball and racquet skills as led by a team of talented coaches and volunteers.
After the Student Clinic wrapped up, it was tournament time!
The KCTL Doubles Open tennis tournament fundraiser featured 24 players divided into 6 teams with an A Division (4.0/4.5) and B division (3.0/3.5). Each team represented a KCTL Tennis Club and competed in a series of doubles matches for a chance to win the title.
In the end it was Team Lafayette Gardens who brought home the trophy!
During the peak of the pandemic, Kings County Tennis League stepped up when our students’ families asked us for support and options to provide their active children with something constructive to do while self-quarantining.
Thanks to our incredible network of donors, sponsors, and organizational partners, the 2020 KCTL Cares campaign was our most successful fundraiser ever!
Kings County Tennis League, Inc. (KCTL), a sports-based youth development non-profit, announces that Dave Webley, due to family relocation, will transition from KCTL’s Executive Director to an Advisory role within the organization. As a result, KCTL has instituted a search for a new Executive Director to lead the organization and further its mission of providing free, year-round tennis and educational programs in and around Brooklyn public housing.
Information about the leadership change and inquiries for application can be accessed via this announcement at: kingscountytennisleague.org/job-openings.
“It is with profound gratitude that we announce that Dave will take an advisory role and transition from KCTL’s Executive Director,” said Michael McCasland, founder of Kings County Tennis League. “KCTL continues to grow and mature as an organization, and our Board and staff are excited to start this next chapter with an experienced and dynamic leader.”
Dave joined KCTL as a volunteer in 2016 and quickly ascended to Program Manager, before becoming our first full-time Executive Director in 2019. Most recently, Dave developed a new strategic plan with the Board of Directors and staff, established important strategic partnerships, and helped improve and stabilize operations and organizational processes.
“It has been such an incredible journey with all of you, since my first day volunteering in 2016 when I met a young Nour Soudani, to now, when I see so many students committed to our program and growing up together. I have felt closely connected to the organization from Day One and I’m sure that will never change, even when we are no longer living in Brooklyn,” said Dave Webley.
Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) combines tennis and education to spark the potential of children. Founded in 2010, KCTL provides free, year-round tennis and educational programs to over 200 students living in and around six housing developments in Brooklyn. KCTL delivers programming directly to the community and renovates unused play areas to create safe spaces for children to learn and play tennis.
On Thursday, October 22nd, Kings County Tennis League celebrated 10 years of free tennis and educational programming with a virtual fundraiser!
Over 170 attendees tuned in as KCTL student Emcees, Amina and Bakari, guided viewers through an engaging program of student, parent, volunteer, and staff video testimonials AND a special message from World #4, ESPN Tennis Analyst, and past Chairperson of the USTA Foundation Board, James Blake.
As of Friday, October 23rd, the 10 Year Anniversary campaign raised $97,334!
A special thank you goes to Presenting Sponsors: Helena Lee and Richard Klapper along with Karen and Sam Seymour.
Another big thank you goes to our community sponsors and organizational partners: the Junior Tennis Foundation, ProtoStar Group, Break the Love, the BK Reader, Fort Greene Tennis Association, Franklin Templeton, WingoNYC, and the USTA Foundation.
If you wanted to support the event but didn’t have a chance to make a donation, you can still give by going to give.classy.org/kctl10years.
Catch the event replay by clicking on the image in this post or going to https://vimeo.com/471446643
We’re excited to announce a new partnership with FURI Sport, an equipment and lifestyle brand based in New York City! This year, FURI Sport will be generously donating 100 of its newly developed FURI Sport children’s tennis racquets to KCTL students.
“We are honored to be chosen as one of the first partners of FURI Sport's Give-Back Program," said David Webley, Executive Director of Kings County Tennis League. "FURI Sport is a Brooklyn-born company co-founded by Erick Mathelier, who grew up here and whose tennis story will surely inspire our students."
To get to know Erick and FURI Sport a bit better, we asked him a few questions about his experience playing tennis and the company. Check out the interview below:
KCTL: What is your tennis background?
Erick: Actually, baseball was my first love, and before I became a New York Yankee fan, I loved the San Francisco Giants, go figure—a big Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell fan. I played little league baseball until the age of 10 years old.
I grew up in East Flatbush, BK, and in 1989 New York City was dealing with a lot of racial issues, which plagued the city. One incident, in particular, was the killing of Yusef Hawkin in Bensonhurst, a predominantly Italian-American working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn. I played on a little league team in Sheepshead Bay, BK. Due to the killing of Yusef Hawkin, my family was scared for me because I was one of two black kids on an all-white team. In retrospect, I think they probably felt I wouldn't know how to handle that situation, so I had to stop playing baseball.
I was an active kid, so I needed to find another sport. I started to get into basketball, which I still love to this day, but for some reason, I randomly decided to take up tennis. Prior to that, I didn’t really follow the sport, but for whatever reason, I went ahead and tried it. I started taking lessons at the age of 10 years old once a week at The Prospect Park Tennis Center, which was a 45-minute walk since my family did not own a car. I took lessons once a week for 3 years.
At the age of 13, I wanted to improve and take the sport more seriously. So, my mother and I sat down with my coach at the time, and we had a meeting of the minds. What came out of that meeting was that in order for me to improve, I needed to play more than once a week, and we mapped out a plan. After that meeting, I spoke to my mom, and she basically said if this is what you want to do, I will do my best to support this endeavor, so in the summer of 1993, I enrolled in my first tennis camp and got to work! My goal was to improve as quickly as possible and become the best tennis player I could be.
Within a year of taking the sport seriously, I improved enough to be selected to play in my first international tournament in Bermuda, which was also my first time on an airplane at the age of 14 years old. This for me was a feat in itself to be able to fly to another country to actually play a tennis tournament. So, I was super excited.
During the subsequent years, I played junior tournaments, and High School tennis. I ultimately landed a D1 tennis scholarship to St. Francis College, where I played #2 singles for all 3 years I played on the team until I graduated in 2000.
Post-college, I played recreationally, and actually had stopped playing tennis for 5 years. I took up the sport again when I co-founded FURI Sport. It’s been an interesting journey, 31 years since I first picked up a racquet and fell in love with the sport.
KCTL: How was FURI Sport created and what inspired you to create your tennis racquet?
Erick: Back in December 2015, I was down in Miami, FL for Art Basel, doing an event with Airbnb for my previous start-up. While I was there, my friend and now business partner Michelle Spiro called and pitched me this idea about creating a new tennis racquet, which to me at the time was completely crazy! Not only had I stopped playing tennis, I did not even know where to start. Michelle knew my back story of growing up in East Flatbush, BK in a Caribbean household (my family is from Haiti) and how tennis transformed the trajectory of my life. We recognized that this could be a spark to starting a new brand, which would eventually become FURI Sport.
Luckily, a few months prior to Michelle calling me, I reconnected with a childhood friend who I grew up playing tennis with at Prospect Park Tennis Center, but is now a Master Racquet Technician. When I pitched my friend on the idea of manufacturing a new tennis racquet, he immediately told me that I was nuts! He said, “Unless you are doing something different, something that has that “ooh ah” feeling, don’t even bother.” Tennis is a niche category that’s dominated primarily by three big brands (Babolat, Head, and Wilson), so for us that was the challenge— how do we build a new brand that can shake up a sleepy category, and actually get players to take you seriously and get excited about the sport.
What excites and inspires us, and is the drive to why we wanted to start FURI Sport, is the thought of “reimagining” the culture of tennis. We want to transform the way tennis is viewed and played. We believe that tennis is not only an elite or country club sport. It's a sport for a kid from Brooklyn too. Our goal is to create racquets, equipment, and apparel that are obviously high quality and improve your game. But more than that, we want to create a community of people from all different backgrounds that can come together and feel at home in the sport we love.
KCTL: What aspect of FURI Sport’s partnership with KCTL are you most excited about?
Erick: Equipping the kids of KCTL with high-quality equipment is one aspect of the partnership that excites me, but I would say connecting with the children in a mentor-type role excites me the most. Growing-up in a similar environment in Brooklyn until I was 15 years old, I can definitely relate to the day-to-day challenges they are facing. Tennis has the potential to be the great equalizer that opens doors, teaches them life skills, and most importantly helps expand their world. I want to help them achieve their goals.
KCTL: What is your favorite spot (e.g. restaurant, bae, Park, Street, building, etc.) in Brooklyn?
Erick: One of my favorite spots in Brooklyn is “The Brooklyn Heights Promenade”. It brings back a lot of great memories and has beautiful views of the East River and Lower Manhattan.
