Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Recognized

Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center and facility director Jeff Clark were recently recognized with outstanding facility and management awards. Both the United State Tennis Association (USTA) and the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) named the tennis center “Facility of the Year” and the USPTA named Clark the “Missouri Valley’s Facility Manager of the Year.” Following are more details about the awards.

• The USTA facility award goes to a center within the Missouri Valley section (Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Missouri) that has outstanding programming, facility aesthetics and has made significant improvements in community tennis.
• The USPTA facility award is given to a center that has improved its layout, facility aesthetics, amenities and accommodations for players, spectators, press and officials.
• The Facility Manager of the Year award is given to a general manager of a public tennis center, commercial tennis center, country club, or resort. The manager must support the USPTA and its professionals, encourage professional development of facility staff and promote tennis within the community.

"I'd like to express our gratitude to the Wichita City Council which had a vision for the Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center and set aside the funds for its growth," Clark said. "It is a great honor to receive all three awards in the same year".

Riverside is a public tennis facility that requires no membership fees, providing high quality and extremely affordable tennis opportunities to the community

The awards follow improvements that were made to the center last summer. The outdoor tennis courts were resurfaced, the windbreak system was upgraded, new lighting was added for nighttime play and courtside benches and new awning were added over the bleachers on Stadium Court. Riverside has also continued to increase its tennis programs, led by USPTA certified instructors. The center's staffers provide outreach programs for USD 259 middle schools and offer free lessons for the Wichita district's elementary school students.

Capital Improvement Funds provided the maintenance on the court resurface and outdoor lights. The Greenway Alliance provided the funding for the new windscreens and the 50 plus volunteers who spent three days installing them, saving more than $17,000 in installation costs. Various individuals donated funding and time building the courtside benches and stadium court awning. The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB) and Kansas District Tennis Association (KDTA) provided funding for the outreach programs.

Riverside Tennis Center is a beautiful public tennis facility located just northwest of downtown Wichita.  It features 10 outdoor courts and three newly resurfaced indoor courts for year-round play.

Riverside offers a full-service Pro Shop including racquet stringing, racquet re-gripping, and racquet purchase.  A large selection of racquets are available for demo while playing at the complex.

Private and group instruction lead by USPTA Professional Jeff Clark is availabe as well as tournament and league play.

While there is no membership required to play at Riverside, there are three membership types available for active players.  Check Court Rates and Memberships page for details.

Recent upgrades include:

• State-of-the-art outdoor court lighting covering all 10 courts.
• Nine outdoor courts repaired with “Rite-way Crack Repair System” and repainted using blue-on-green color scheme similar to that of The US Open
• One stand-alone court resurfaced using “Tuff Trax” court repair system which has a “softer” feel that many senior players prefer. This court was also repainted using blue-on-green color scheme similar to that of The US Open
• Installation of new “slat system” windscreen for increased durability, improved visibility, and higher quality aesthetics.
• New upgraded nets/net posts purchased installed on all 10 outdoor courts.
• Court-side benches on each indoor and outdoor court.
• Awnings installed covering 2 sets of bleachers on Stadium Court.
• On-court water coolers provided on all indoor and outdoor courts

Learn more about the Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center here!

• Court Rates & Memberships
• Lesson Offerings
• Leagues and Ladders
• Tennis Tournaments
• Other City Tennis Courts