Advancing Youth
Over our 32-year history, Saint Paul Urban Tennis has touched the lives of more than 75,000 Saint Paul youth and their families. Today, we work with more than 2,000 youth ages five to 18 annually, but with our growth comes new necessities – we've outgrown our current space and as a result, are launching the Advantage Youth Campaign to build the new East Side Youth Leadership & Tennis Center. This will be a $25 million project, funded by a mix of public and private sources, including SPUT’s existing equity, allocations from the state, capital campaign fundraising, state cash appropriation, tax credits and city funding.
Make a Difference Today
Want to learn more? Click the link below and sign up to receive more information about the project and the Advantage Youth Campaign. We have opportunities to tour the site of our future home and/or meet with staff and project leadership to discuss ways to get involved. Thank you for your interest!
A Glimpse Into the Future
SPUT has secured a dynamic site in the heart of Saint Paul’s East Side that meets the organization’s short- and long-term goals. Accessible by public transportation, the 125,000-square-foot state-of-the-art athletic facility would provide ample space to accommodate SPUT’s needs, including 10 indoor courts and multi-purpose and community spaces.
The Why?
Tennis participation has been shown to positively influence the lives of youth, but financial disparity is a significant barrier that prevents involvement. Through an increased capacity to serve and an equity investment, this development levels the playing field for low-wealth and BIPOC youth. The new facility will provide a safe space for youth to engage in on- and off-court programming that instills a sense of responsibility and accountability.
The new center will allow for 52 weeks of tennis programming and additional programs including:
- The expansion of middle school tennis and leadership programming.
- The expansion of SPUT’s Warrior Leadership Academy, which sees 100% of its high school senior participants graduate – vs. Saint Paul Public School’s graduation rate of 75%.
- Provisions for adaptive and accessible tennis programming for individuals who use wheelchairs or have physical disabilities.
Youth Who Play Tennis . . .
48%
Get Better Grades
73%
Are Better Behaved
81%
Say They Will Attend College
90%
Are More Community-Minded and Well-Rounded
Economic and Environmental Justice
Historically, East Siders haven’t been included extensively in development plans for their community. The East Side community is home to significant racial disparities in areas of health, environment and housing and has traditionally been excluded from political input. The development of the East Side Youth Development & Tennis Center is expected to:
Boost economic vitality by . . .
» Creating local jobs, both for the buildout and ongoing employment.
» Attracting tournaments and events that positively impact local hotel, food and retail establishments.
» Serving as a catalytic investment on the East Side, we expect this development to spur additional economic growth.
Deter crime and improve quality of life for the community by . . .
» Providing a safe and welcoming place where kids can be themselves, surrounded by the care, validation, and focus of adults.
» Helping youth build social connections and understand the power of work within their local community.
Revitalizing the physical environment for East Side residents by . . .
» Transforming an abandoned and contaminated construction dump into a valuable asset in the middle of a disinvested residential community.
» Creating a green space and recreational facility in Ramsey County’s largest park desert.
FAQs
Everything you always wanted to know about the Advantage Youth Campaign but were afraid to ask.
What is the location of SPUT’s future home?
SPUT’s new home will be located in the heart of Saint Paul’s East Side along East Seventh about a quarter mile East of Johnson Parkway. The official address is not yet determined, but if you input 1460 7 th St. E into Google Maps you are able to see the overall site to be developed.
How many courts will the new SPUT home have?
10 courts with excellent viewing/spectator areas to support community programs, classes, leagues, and tournaments.
Why 10 courts? Why not 4, 6, or 8?
Throughout the design process, SPUT and our team of experts considered a multitude of different building configurations, exploring not only the financial viability of cost to build, but also the long term financial viability after construction. What we determined was that while a smaller facility was cheaper to build, a 10 court facility offers SPUT the most viable ongoing business plan and revenue generation opportunities, opportunities which will fund SPUT’s mission related work with Saint Paul youth, both on and off the court.
Will there be pickle ball courts in SPUT’s new home?
There will not be dedicated pickle ball courts, but the facility will be able to accommodate pickleball via temporary taped courts.
What is the total cost of the project?
SPUT’s new 125,000/sf home is an approximately $35M facility. Additionally, there are site-specific costs to clean and prep the site and meet state energy efficiency standards that will add about $8M - $10M to the overall development. Fortunately there are existing public funding sources to cover the majority of the extra clean-up and energy-related costs.
Why not just build a bubble or semi-permanant building?
While sports bubbles cost less to build, they are extremely expensive to heat/cool (up to $300,000/yr. more expensive for a 125,000/sf facility), and must be replaced every 10-20 years, which would put SPUT in a position to be continuously fundraising for the next replacement. Additionally, SPUT is committed to building a facility that matches our goals and expectations of our youth programming and mission to support underserved youth and under-resourced families accessing the same high quality programs and experiences of better resourced people/families/communities. We believe strongly that urban youth in St. Paul should not have to leave the city to access top notch programming and facilities.
How is the project being funded?
A project of this scale requires a strong public/private partnership. This includes funding from local, regional, and state sources as well as tax credits and philanthropic support from foundations, corporations and individuals. SPUT estimates approximately $15M in private philanthropic support will leverage the remaining public funds and tax credits to complete the project as planned. To date, over $2M in private funding has been committed and nearly $1M in public funding.
What is the timeline for ground breaking and grand opening?
The overall project timeline will be driven in part by the timing of the lead public and private investments, but the current plan calls for a summer 2027 groundbreaking and fall 2028 grand opening.
Will SPUT still operate Eastview Rec Center and deliver off-site programs throughout Saint Paul?
Yes – SPUT will continue to operate the Eastview Rec Center and will be able to expand programming opportunities at Eastview with space that will be freed-up with the addition of SPUT’s new home.
How will SPUT operate and sustain its new home?
SPUT has engaged significant expertise in designing, building and operating tennis and community facilities. This includes significant business-planning and long-term operating models that have informed the overall scope, scale, systems, and spaces to be included in SPUT’s new home - with a core focus on low-barrier access for our existing SPUT community and the surrounding neighborhoods.
I am interested in helping with the project, what can I do to help?
There are many opportunities to support the project, including:
- Making a gift to the Advantage Youth Campaign at a level that is meaningful to you. You could consider pledging over multiple years to maximize your impact on the Campaign.
- Engaging your business/employer to support the Campaign and/or SPUT’s ongoing programs.
- Encouraging others in your personal or professional network to learn about SPUT and the project, tour the site of SPUT’s future home, visit Eastview, attend SPUT events, etc.
