Sportime Clubs to Take Over Port Washington Tennis Academy
Posted: August 18, 2022 in Chains
Sportime: Tennis. Fitness. Multisport.
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – The famed Port Washington Tennis Academy (PWTA) on Long Island will soon be under new ownership and is being managed by Sportime.
Hornig Capital Partners (HCP) has an agreement to purchase the iconic PWTA, with Sportime Clubs, LLC set to run the day-to-day operations of the club, as Sportime Port Washington, for a minimum of 25 years.
Sportime Clubs, LLC President and Chief Executive Officer, Claude Okin, explained how the agreement came to be:
“The short story is that Hornig Capital Partners, led by a local real estate developer/investor Daren Hornig, was acquiring the property and reached out to us to see if Sportime would be interested in leasing it, and operating it as a Sportime club, and, of course, we were. We are very excited about the future of SPORTIME Port Washington, and we are also passionate about honoring the legacy of the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy and the hard work and commitment of the Zausner family since 1966.”
The agreement between HCP and Sportime includes substantial capital investment to renovate and upgrade PWTA. The parties will spend up to $7 million, which will include upgrades to the existing tennis and recreational facilities, locker rooms, HVAC systems and interiors.
The club’s exterior will remain intact, but will be restored to its original beauty.
Sportime, which has been operating PWTA for its existing owner since July 11, is home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at four of its locations currently. Sportime Port Washington will become the fifth JMTA location at a future date.
“For the upcoming 2022-2023 indoor season, we will have great coaches at Port, and we will have a program for every player at every level, plus private and group instruction, open and seasonal court-time, tournaments and events,” said Okin. “When the renovations are complete, in the fall of 2023, SPORTIME Port Washington will become a JMTA site, along with SPORTIME Syosset, with the goal of producing decades of college scholarship recipients and, with a little luck, some future pros.”
There are also plans to expand the reach of the Johnny Mac Tennis Project, Inc (JMTP), the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which currently operates primarily in New York City.
“In partnership with JMTP, we plan to offer free and low cost tennis learning opportunities to local schools and community based organizations, and to fund hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in scholarships for under-resourced kids and their families who love tennis and are ready to embrace it as a lifetime sport of opportunity. More good news to come on that, but, again, we plan to honor the legacy of PWTA with our charitable endeavors on Long Island, and especially at Port, in the years to come.”
The PWTA was established in 1966 as a non-profit tennis facility and was where many legends and top players, including John and Patrick McEnroe, learned the game.
“Obviously, because Johnny Mac is our guy, and because we operate the John McEnroe Tennis Academy with him and Patrick McEnroe as its leaders, and because of their history at Port, this is even more special for us, and for them,” Okin added.
