YTF Celebrates Hall of Fame Board Member

Congratulations to our long time board member and past President of the YTF, Pierce Kelley, who was inducted into the USTA-FL Hall of Fame. Kelley was first introduced to tennis in 1957, when he was 10 years old. His mother asked him to start playing with her during the summer, and he instantly fell in love with the sport. He originally got involved with volunteering in 1971 through Jack Blair and Youth Tennis Foundation. Pierce has stayed active with the Youth Tennis Foundation (YTF) for over 50 years, where he has helped create hundreds of programs for the tennis community. One of those includes the Bedford Cup, which is a tournament for all Division I Colleges in Florida.

Dana Andrews, USTA Florida Board President, presenting the award to Pierce Kelley.

The YTF also created a tournament for Division II, NAIA, and JUCOs in the state. Pierce was one of the founders of the Junior Team Tennis scene.

In his acceptance speech, Pierce attributes the honor and recognition to his 50+ years of volunteer work through the YTF, that allowed him to initiate many successful junior programs throughout the state, including the creation of a recreational team tennis program later adopted by the USTA.

From left to right: Allan Kelley, Michael Kelley, YTF President--Ed Jagger,
HOF award recipient--Pierce Kelley, Patrick Kelley, and Tug Miller.