Join us for the KCTL x FGTA kids clinic, round-robin doubles, and tasty picnic food in the park!
About the Event
Kick off the Summer season with KCTL volunteers and friends. Enjoy a fun round-robin doubles tournament, tasty picnic food and light beverages, and the chance to come together as a community.
All funds raised will support future events that build community among our volunteers!
Learn more and register here. We hope to see you at Fort Greene Park!
Thank you to the Fort Greene Tennis Association for hosting the annual tournament, kids clinic, and community day.
AJ at Davis Cup circa 2016
Each student starts their KCTL journey at a different point. For AJ Esperanza, his journey started in 2015, at a small court tucked between the high rises that make up Sumner houses, hitting red balls on a Saturday morning. Throughout the years, he progressed as a player through our community tennis and UpSwing programs, then to a volunteer-in-training, and eventually, all the way to a Site Assistant, one of KCTL’s paid youth assistant coaches.
AJ with his sister, Janelly, and mom, Ivelisse, at Connect at the Net 2022
Apart from serving as an example and mentor to younger students in our program, AJ also distinguished himself as a star student at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brighton Beach. After graduating from high school this Spring, AJ will continue his educational career at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. We are so proud of AJ, all that he has accomplished thus far, all that he will accomplish, and we cannot wait to see where the future takes him!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KINGS COUNTY TENNIS LEAGUE APPOINTS JOE CERIELLO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
– Ceriello to lead KCTL into its next chapter as one of New York’s most impactful sports-based youth development non-profits –
BROOKLYN, December 1, 2022 — Kings County Tennis League, Inc. (KCTL), a sports-based youth development non-profit, today announced that Joe Ceriello has been appointed Executive Director effective December 12, 2022. Mr. Ceriello is a tennis industry veteran who has held multiple leadership positions during his 13-year tenure with the United States Tennis Association, and spent the last seven years driving marketing and development initiatives at New York Junior Tennis & Learning, one of the first chapters of the USTA Foundation’s NJTL network co-founded by Arthur Ashe. Most recently, Mr. Ceriello served as the NYJTL Chief Marketing and Development Officer and NYJTL Bronx Open Tournament Director.
“There is a spark, a palpable feeling of passion and purpose among the KCTL Board, staff and volunteers that drew me to this organization,” said Mr. Ceriello. “KCTL’s unique program setting and delivery model has enormous potential for attracting new communities to tennis, the growth of which has been at the center of my life’s work. The impact of KCTL’s intentional use of tennis for developing the social and emotional learning (SEL) capacities that children need to succeed in life is truly compelling. I am thrilled to bring my 20+ years of experience to KCTL to create greater access to the sport while bringing new opportunities and authentic relationships to KCTL’s young people, on and off the court.”
Mr. Ceriello graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts and later earned a Master’s degree in Music from the Boston Conservatory. He also received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in Manhattan, where he now teaches as an adjunct lecturer.
“On behalf of the board, I am thrilled to welcome Joe to KCTL at this pivotal moment when our community of young people, their families, our staff, volunteers, partners and loyal benefactors are united with an unwavering commitment to see each of our students realize their full potential,” said Karen Levine, KCTL Board Chair. “Joe is uniquely experienced to lead within this diverse community. His talents and experience will help us thoughtfully expand the KCTL pathway and its programs, as we continue to present our youth with a stream of opportunities and mentors who can assist them in discovering their passions and building a future in which they will thrive.”
Mr. Ceriello will succeed KCTL’s Interim Executive Director, Mohammad El-Haj Ahmad, who’s led the organization since June 2022. Mr. El-Haj Ahmad will resume his original role as Program Director, for which he was hired in February 2022. “We are greatly indebted to Mohammad for stepping in and leading KCTL during these past six months. In a short time, Mohammad has had a tremendous impact on KCTL, adding a number of new programs and services for our youth. On behalf of the KCTL Board and staff, we sincerely thank him for his contributions to our mission, and we look forward with excitement as Mohammad dedicates his exceptional talents to deepening the impact of KCTL programming for our young people,” said Ms. Levine.
About KCTL
Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) combines tennis and education to spark the potential of children living in and around Brooklyn public housing. Founded in 2010, KCTL provides free, year-round tennis-centered programs to nearly 500 youth living in and around six NYCHA developments; the children in each housing development form a “tennis club” (e.g. Marcy Tennis Club), which comprise the Kings County Tennis League. By creating courts on underused play spaces in NYCHA developments, and bringing our staff, volunteers, equipment and programs directly to where our students reside, KCTL eliminates the physical and financial barriers to tennis and creates community spaces that foster economic connectedness, the strongest known predictor of upward economic mobility. A thoughtfully-designed pathway and an ensemble of caring and authentic staff and volunteers help KCTL cultivate safe spaces for children to play, learn and develop the social and emotional learning capacities that youth need to succeed.
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mara Mazza
516-655-2904
mara@kingscountytennisleague.org
During the past year, Executive Director Nora Ryan has led Kings County Tennis League through a period of tremendous growth as our community emerged from the trauma of Covid-19 and its safety protocols while demand for the sport of tennis was at an all-time high. It is with great appreciation for Nora's accomplishments that we share with you her decision to move on to the next chapter of her career, as of July 1.
BROOKLYN, June 16, 2021 — Kings County Tennis League, Inc. (KCTL), a sports-based youth development non-profit that serves children in and around six New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments in Central Brooklyn, today announced the appointment of Nora Ryan as its new Executive Director. Ms. Ryan succeeds Dave Webley, who joined the organization as a volunteer before becoming its first Executive Director, and who will continue consulting with KCTL as Executive Advisor.
Charged with driving the next chapter of growth outlined in KCTL’s strategic plan, Ryan is a senior corporate executive who has transitioned to the non-profit sector, bringing experience building new ventures and leading collaborative partnerships to support community service and social impact. She has directed entertainment, sports and health education services as EVP/Chief of Staff for premium network EPIX, Founding CEO of Sundance Channel and head of marketing and business development at Showtime and AMC Networks. Honored by Variety Magazine on its Power of Women New York list, Nora is passionate about building NYC communities and a champion of the positive power of sports on childhood development. She has an MBA in marketing and finance from Columbia University, where she serves on the Hermes Society and Fundraising Advisory Council.
On Sunday, May 2nd, the Kings County Tennis League community enjoyed a beautiful day full of tennis at Fort Greene Park tennis courts!
The day kicked off with a KCTL and Fort Greene Tennis Association Student Clinic! 20+ kids enjoyed tennis drills and games building basic ball and racquet skills as led by a team of talented coaches and volunteers.
After the Student Clinic wrapped up, it was tournament time!
The KCTL Doubles Open tennis tournament fundraiser featured 24 players divided into 6 teams with an A Division (4.0/4.5) and B division (3.0/3.5). Each team represented a KCTL Tennis Club and competed in a series of doubles matches for a chance to win the title.
In the end it was Team Lafayette Gardens who brought home the trophy!