The relationship includes access to HomeField Alliance membership benefits for select USTA employees as well as other collaborative initiatives.

July 11, 2019:

Chicago, Ill. — HomeField Alliance, the network for LGBTQ+ business professionals working in sports and entertainment, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have agreed to a corporate membership that marks the first of its kind in the industry.

The relationship will seek to bolster and further develop the USTA’s efforts around LGBTQ+ inclusion and allyship within the organization by connecting employees from its major offices in White Plains, New York and Orlando, Florida to their peers, as well as individuals from other areas of the industry.

“We’re thrilled to work with the USTA, an organization that has made a commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion both within the association and throughout tennis as a whole,” said HomeField Alliance president and co-founder Jake Lenz. “By creating collaborative relationships of this type and sharing our resources and learnings around how to implement LGBTQ+ and allyship best practices, we’re confident that more organizations will start to take a step in that direction and follow the lead of the USTA.”

“Having been on the forefront of equal rights, from the adoption of equal prize money for men and women in 1973 to the naming of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2007 in honor of tennis legend Bille Jean King, the USTA is proud of its history in the areas of diversity and inclusion for all,” said USTA CEO Gordon Smith. “The USTA is committed to inclusion for all in our sport and our association with HomeField Alliance helps us carry this forward.”

Lenz, who has spent his career as a sponsorship marketing specialist, founded the organization with event marketing veteran and longtime IEG executive Jim Andrews, and David Slade, chief development and marketing officer for WFYI Public Media in Indianapolis and formerly with the USTA Foundation. HomeField Alliance is currently recruiting new board members.

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For More Information Contact:
Jake Lenz, jake.lenz@homefieldalliance.org; 419/450-7171 h

About HomeField Alliance, Inc NFP

A registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, HomeField Alliance, Inc. NFP is headquartered in Chicago, with a focus on membership from across the United States and Canada. HomeField Alliance’s events, career and mentoring tools are designed to foster networking, training and development for professionals at all stages, from students interested in sports and entertainment, to thought leaders and seasoned executives. Those interested in individual or corporate membership can get more information at info@homefieldalliance.org or www.homefieldaliance.org.