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Before the lights, broadcast trucks, and elite grandstand crowds took over New York for the US Open, forty girls aged 7 to 12 stepped onto the hard courts of Riverside Tennis for an entirely different kind of fixture. They were not playing for ranking points or tour prize money, but to test a core thesis: that tennis, paired with institutional backing and community mentorship, can redefine how young women navigate both athletic and personal growth. The clinic marked the official launch of Dream Big. Play Big.,
a new girls' empowerment series created through a partnership between the WTA Foundation and the CVC Foundation.
Working in tandem with the Riverside Park Conservancy, volunteers from CVC, its portfolio networks, and the WTA Foundation transformed the public park facility into an active incubator for youth participation. Rather than focusing solely on technical forehand mechanics or scoring systems, the program was structured around engagement, peer connection, and building early athletic confidence.
Building the Racket-and-Resilience Blueprint
For grassroots organizations, introducing sport to young girls often runs into structural walls: equipment costs, lack of local female coaching talent, and missing post-clinic support systems. Dream Big. Play Big.
addresses those drop-off points by designing a multi-layered framework. The strategy integrates free tennis instruction, coach education, equipment support, and targeted financial investment in local community groups.
One of the goals about training big is to look into the future and be excited about what's to come,stated Jocelyn Cruz, Director of Riverside Tennis.
The philosophy treats athletic challenge not as an obstacle, but as a crucial developmental rep. In youth sports, learning to navigate failure on the court offers a direct blueprint for handling broader life setbacks.
blockquote>Getting out there and playing sports, you make great friends. You have healthy habits. You learn to be ambitious,noted Cathrin Petty, Co-head of USA Private Equity and Global Head of Healthcare at CVC.
You also learn, actually, how to fall down, and get back up again, because sport is never linear, and life is not linear, and learning how to deal with some of those challenges is also really important and doing that with a great support network around you. That's the heart of being a sportsman.
The Commercial Engine Behind Philanthropic Impact
The execution of this grassroots push reflects a deeper structural alignment within modern women's sports. In 2023, CVC Capital Partners entered into a strategic partnership with the WTA, serving as its commercial partner while the WTA retained majority ownership and full regulatory responsibility over the sport. That alliance was designed to accelerate commercial growth across more than 70 tournaments and 1,600 Tour players globally, backed by CVC's international network of 25 local offices.
Now, that commercial engine is feeding directly back into grassroots equity. The WTA Foundation’s leadership views its philanthropic activations not as standalone marketing exercises, but as essential conduits for long-term sport participation.
blockquote>The partnership really is about shared values, and about the shared belief in sports as a powerful tool,explained Ann Austin, Executive Director of the WTA Foundation.
Together, we're using the reach and influence of women’s tennis to open doors for girls and women, helping them build confidence, develop leadership skills, and realize their potential both on and off the court.
The wide scope of the underlying business agreement was highlighted during its original rollout, where leaders across the sport emphasized structural reinvestment into player profiles, digital platforms, and fan engagement.
| Stakeholder / Entity | Role / Scope | Key Objective / Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Hologic WTA Tour | 1,600+ Players, ~80 Nations, 70+ Events | Global leader in women's sports reaching nearly 900 million fans worldwide |
| CVC Capital Partners | Commercial Partner (Commenced 2023) | Inject capital, expand commercial capability, and build Tour brands |
| Iga Swiatek | WTA World No. 1 | I’m inspired to be a part of the evolution of women’s tennis and building out the next 50 years of the WTA. |
| Jessica Pegula | WTA Players' Council Member | For so long, we’ve been championing the sport for women across the world and it’s great to have the investment and belief in the players and WTA product. |
| Steve Simon | WTA Chairman and CEO | This partnership with CVC brings experience, a network and capital to move our sport to the next level, embracing the ambition of our founding members... |
| Gemma Wright | Senior Managing Director, CVC | WTA and CVC will work together to innovate, grow fan engagement, and the revenues of the WTA, which we can then reinvest back into the game. |
Connecting Court Competence to Real-World Mobility
The underlying principles driving Dream Big. Play Big.
closely parallel proven non-profit models focused on economic mobility and female empowerment. Specialized mentorship platforms—such as Foundation for Girls and its Career Journey program—have long demonstrated that exposing participants to technical skills is only half the equation; instilling the confidence to execute those skills in high-stakes environments is what produces lasting independence.
When grassroots sports initiatives partner with corporate and community volunteers, they construct a similar ecosystem. Girls do not merely interact with athletic instructors; they engage directly with mentors across finance, marketing, legal, and operational sectors. This multi-sector exposure broadens career horizons early, showing that a public tennis court can serve as the initial platform for lifelong self-advocacy, health, and leadership.
A Scalable Model for Global Expansion
While the New York clinic served as the inaugural footprint ahead of the US Open, the ultimate goal of Dream Big. Play Big.
is multi-regional scalability. The WTA Foundation and CVC Foundation plan to grow the platform by combining live community activations with digital learning, coach education, and localized support networks.
By equipping local venues with trained female role models and sustained resources, the program aims to ensure that when a girl picks up a racket for the first time, she steps into a continuous support system designed to keep her playing, leading, and thriving for years to come.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- foundationforgirls.org original
- cvc.com original
- wtatennis.com original
- linkedin.com original
