Black Girls Tennis Club Is Redefining Who Belongs on the Court
Black Girls Tennis Club (BGTC) began with a simple barrier that many beginners recognize: tennis requires another person. For founder Kimberly Selden, that other person, and the entry point into the sport, wasn’t easy to find. During the pandemic, after moving from New York back to her hometown in Virginia, Selden decided to build what she couldn’t find – a welcoming place for Black women and girls to start playing the sport for a lifetime.
The First Clinic: Free, Small and Immediately Powerful
In April 2022, BGTC ran its first youth clinic in Norfolk, Virginia: 10 girls, ages 10-13, meeting two hours each Saturday for seven weeks, free of charge. The early days were spent just finding their feet, but the results were clear.
“At the time, we didn’t really know what we were doing,” Selden says with a laugh. “The girls started out really timid and shy, but by the seventh week they became friends and they were dancing on the court.” Two tried out for their school tennis teams, despite never touching a racquet before the clinic, and one made the team and kept playing.
Why It Took Off: Demand, Not Hype
BGTC grew quickly because it met a need that wasn’t being met elsewhere. Tennis is often introduced through family connections or established programs, not through everyday school or neighborhood pathways. Even when courts are nearby, the sport can still feel intimidating and hard to access. BGTC’s growth has been fueled by people looking for a clear, culturally familiar way into tennis, and asking for more once they find it.
What participants describe isn’t just instruction – it’s belonging. BGTC members connect on and off court, follow coaches, bring friends and travel significant distances to attend sessions. Some even show up primarily for the community, not the competition. That’s the point: BGTC is building a social experience that makes tennis feel inviting, not exclusionary.
Coaching That Changes the Atmosphere
Coach Caira Walker, who helped expand BGTC programming in New York City after joining in 2023, describes what shifts when participants arrive and see Black women coaches leading the court. “When you walk on the court and see somebody who looks like you, there’s an instant sigh of relief,” Walker says. “I always try to lead with patience and compassion, to create a welcoming space where women feel comfortable to come as they are and try something new that might otherwise feel very intimidating.”
The goal is simple: when someone leaves the court, they feel capable, and they want to come back and play again.
Growing City by City: Courts, Coaches and Partnerships
BGTC hires coaches, often part-time and seasonal, and adapts by city based on court access, local structure and staffing realities. In some markets, partnerships can accelerate growth, especially when local organizations already manage courts and coaching payroll. BGTC sees these collaborations as a path to scale: less reinvention, more impact.
In 2025, BGTC reported 655 participants and 47 hours of on-court programming across 5 locations activated: Hampton Roads, VA; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Martha’s Vineyard; and Equinunk, PA.
Building a Pipeline for Coaches and Leaders
BGTC’s vision goes beyond participation stats. One challenge in tennis is that the number of players in any given community doesn’t always translate into coaching and leadership representation. BGTC is leaning into coaching development as a pathway, especially for players who love the sport and want a structured way to teach, lead and earn.
The organization also sees a messaging gap: many people don’t realize coaching can be a viable on-ramp to opportunity. By connecting participants with education and clear benefits, BGTC aims to grow the next generation of Black women coaches, especially as beginners become stronger players.
Leadership and Inclusion: Showing Up Where Change Happens
In December, BGTC participated in the Coach Inclusion Summit, a collaboration between USTA Coaching and USTA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) department. The summit included on-court skill-building and an accessibility-focused blind-simulation experience. The weekend concluded with a panel featuring BGTC’s Coach Caira and Coach Victoria as speakers, reinforcing BGTC’s commitment to representation, inclusion and leadership in tennis.
BGTC is technically a nonprofit, but Selden describes it as a social enterprise with ambitions that match its cultural momentum. BGTC has already taken steps toward global growth, hosting a clinic in London and planning programming in Ghana.
“We’re directly serving the need for our community,” Selden says. “We get emails every day from people asking when we’re coming to their state. We’re working on it.”
BGTC’s story exists in a broader legacy shaped by Black women who expanded what was possible in tennis – Althea Gibson, Venus and Serena Williams and today’s stars like Coco Gauff, among others. BGTC is carrying that legacy forward by making sure the next generation doesn’t have to wonder whether they belong on the court.
What’s Next: More Courts, More Coaches, More Belonging
The organization’s future is rooted in a clear insight: tennis doesn’t just need more invitations – it needs more ownership. BGTC is building that ownership through community, culturally fluent coaching and a model designed to scale. The result is a growing movement that makes tennis feel less exclusive and more open to new participants.
