Universal Tennis and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) are announcing a renewal of their partnership for an additional three years through December 2026.
As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS reaches all 50 state member associations and the District of Columbia. Its partnership with Universal Tennis brings innovative resources to 19,500 high schools with more than 7.9 million high school sports participants.
"Universal Tennis has made a very strong and lasting impact in the high school tennis space and has now grown to be working with 27 state associations,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director. “The UTR Rating is a proven tool that continues to gain great traction across our member state associations.”
The partnership allows the NFHS to use the gold-standard UTR Rating system to properly seed tournaments, significantly reduce roster stacking, accurately assess talent level, and track player development. Created by Universal Tennis, the UTR Rating system rates all players – professional, collegiate, high school, junior, and recreational – on the same 16-point scale, regardless of age, gender, or location
“All of our member associations have spoken highly of their Universal Tennis relationship. It has been impressive to see their growth throughout the nation," said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS Director of Sports/Communications.
Tournament organizers can rely on UTR Rating for seeding, making it easier than ever to create draws. Organizers can also embed live draws on the state association website.
“Universal Tennis is excited to renew our partnership with NFHS. We look forward to continuing to elevate and innovate high school tennis,” said Chase Hodges, Universal Tennis Vice President. “This partnership will allow us to continue to play a large role in assisting state associations, high school players, and high school coaches all across the U.S.”
Universal Tennis continues to grow in the high school space, with more than 10,000 high schools and 8,500 high school coaches across the country utilizing the platform. Universal Tennis High School is completely free to all high school administrators, coaches, and players. Coaches can also use the software to host events and raise funds for their programs.
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About Universal Tennis
The mission of Universal Tennis is to connect and grow the sports of tennis and pickleball with innovative events and a global digital marketplace centered around level-based play. The Universal Tennis Engagement Platform is anchored by the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate singles and doubles tennis rating system. Universal Tennis provides the tools and solutions to make the UTR Rating relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers in their local tennis communities. Universal Tennis is creating opportunities and pathways, including the UTR Pro Tennis Tour, for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun and flexible tennis experience.
New since 2023, Universal Tennis is offering one home for tennis and pickleball, beginning a new chapter by bringing pickleball rating and technology solutions to another racquet sport. Universal Tennis enables its customers to use its UTR Pickleball Rating and event management software to create accessible, competitive level-based events.
Media Contacts:
Ben Makarenko: bmakarenko@universaltennis.com