In the Trenches: Regulated to Ruin - The Crushing Insurance Burden on Tennis Pros

By Susan F. Nardi, RSPA Elite Professional, Wheelchair Tennis and Pickleball certified

In the increasingly litigious world of youth sports, tennis coaches find themselves staring down a storm of rising costs, regulatory overreach, and now—crippling insurance requirements. At the heart of the matter? SAM coverage—Sexual Abuse and Molestation insurance, which is rapidly becoming a mandatory requirement to access public schools, parks, and HOA courts.

The intentions are sound: protect children and families. But the execution is drowning grassroots tennis professionals, many of whom are barely surviving after years of pandemic disruption and market saturation from platform-based coaching apps.

A New Mandate, A Dangerous Cost

California school districts are leading the charge in tightening insurance mandates. What used to be a $1 million SAM policy—something the Racquet Sports Professional Association (RSPA) has worked hard to make accessible to its members—has suddenly escalated. Now, many public school systems are requiring $2 million in SAM coverage, often with no advance notice or support.

To upgrade from $1 million to $2 million? That additional coverage costs $10,000 annually, based on recent private insurance quotes received by credentialed pros. In a profession where coaches often earn between $40,000 and $60,000 annually running programs for kids and families, this insurance bump isn't just a hassle—it's existential.

PTR Coaches Left in the Cold

If you're a coach certified by Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), your choices are even worse. As of now, PTR offers no SAM insurance option through their membership benefits. Coaches affiliated with PTR must seek private standalone SAM coverage, which comes at a premium. Just getting the base $1 million SAM policy privately is expensive. Imagine what $2 million will cost.

With no group-negotiated rates or coverage pathways, PTR coaches—many of whom run valuable community programs—are stuck navigating a broken system on their own, or simply dropping out altogether.

How Culver City Blindsided Its Coaches

Consider what just happened in my own backyard. Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) quietly updated its insurance requirements in the final two months of the school year—adding a $2 million SAM coverage requirement without so much as an email or warning to its after-school program providers.

The result? Coaches who had been teaching kids all year long were suddenly out of compliance and ineligible to finish their programs. No time to adjust, no room to negotiate. One week, you’re supporting students with affordable access to tennis. The next, you’re off the court, priced out by a bureaucratic line item.

Safe Play

Let’s not forget: tennis has already invested heavily in athlete protection. When tennis became an Olympic sport, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee mandated that all sport governing bodies—including tennis—implement SafeSport policies. In tennis, that evolved into the USTA’s Safe Play Program, a rigorous series of courses, background checks, and yearly renewals that all coaches must complete to maintain their professional certifications with the RSPA & PTR

Tennis pros have complied. We’ve taken the training, paid the fees, and stayed current on our renewals. But ask any insurance company, and you’ll find that Safe Play certification doesn’t count for a discount—or even a second look.

And Now the USTA Steps In…

Just as the USTA is entering the certification business, one can’t help but wonder: how will our national governing body navigate the SAM insurance crisis? Will USTA negotiate affordable group coverage? Will they subsidize insurance for youth-focused coaches? Or will they, like too many others, create requirements without solutions, leaving the burden on the individual pro?

Their recent history raises concerns. For all the well-meaning policies and safeguarding standards USTA has introduced, the gap between governance and the ground has only grown wider. Certification without infrastructure is just another piece of paper. And insurance mandates without affordability are a death sentence for the working coach.

When the Coach Quits, the Kids Lose

Let’s be clear: this isn't just about insurance. It’s about who gets to play tennis. When insurance costs force qualified coaches off courts, entire programs disappear, especially in low-income and Title I school communities. That means:

• Fewer kids are picking up racquets.

• No feeder systems into high school or college tennis.

• No after-school alternatives for working parents.

• No grassroots base to grow the game.

And who fills the vacuum? Uninsured, uncredentialed instructors on coaching apps, often squatting on public courts, charging less because they’re not following the rules. The system rewards noncompliance while penalizing those trying to protect kids the right way.

Where Do We Go From Here?

There is still time to get this right, but it requires action:

• RSPA and PTR must advocate for tiered or pooled insurance options based on program size and scope.

• USTA must use its clout to negotiate national coverage partnerships and support Safe Play–compliant coaches.

• School districts like CCUSD must stop blindsiding their partners and offer transitional plans, not surprise ultimatums.

• Insurance carriers need to recognize Safe Play and similar certifications as meaningful and discount-worthy, not administrative noise.

Tennis is a lifetime sport. But unless we fix this insurance crisis, many kids won’t get to start. Coaches are being pushed out. Programs are collapsing. And the foundation of the game—the community coach in the trenches—is being regulated into extinction.

And make no mistake: that society loses when kids are not allowed to play a lifetime sport with tier one health benefits and life lessons that can be learned from playing. We are all going to lose.