Non-Profit Launched To Provide Pickleball Programs To Underserved Communities In South Florida

The David Ensignia Tennis Academy (DETA), a prominent sports instruction and athlete development institution in South Florida, has unveiled the initiation of DETA Friends, a nonprofit committed to offering sports programs and facilitating access to racquet sports, such as tennis and pickleball, for youth, adults, and families in underserved communities and those with special needs.

Co-founder of DETA Friends, David Ensignia, told Miami’s Community News, “We believe sports are powerful tools for education, social development, and community building. Through DETA Friends, we’re committed to making tennis and pickleball accessible regardless of ethnicity, sex, age, or economics.”

DETA Friends originated from Ensignia’s tennis program, which is currently operational at four locations in Miami-Dade County. The academy was established in the 1990s and provides private lessons, clinics, high-performance athlete training, tournaments, and after-school/summer camps, often with discounted or waived fees for players and families facing financial constraints.

Ensignia adds, “Our mission is to assist individuals with a passion for tennis and now pickleball, whose financial limitations hinder their on-court participation,” Ensignia explained. “This goal predates the inception of the nonprofit. We have aided over 250 junior tennis players in securing scholarships for college.”

Ensignia and his team have developed specialized programs for individuals with special needs, which are now an integral part of DETA Friends. These initiatives include the only ongoing wheelchair tennis clinics in Southeast Florida, with weekly meet-ups at Continental Park Tennis Center in Kendall. 

DETA Friends plans to extend their offerings to include a pickleball wheelchair program.

Collaborating with Walmart and Break the Love, a national racquet sports platform, DETA provides free weekly tennis and pickleball sessions, along with court reservations for adults over 50 at Continental Park Tennis Center and DETA Pickleball Club in Kendale Lakes.

In partnership with nonprofits, The Rising Start and Early Intervention Behavioral Services (EIBS), DETA Friends organizes tennis camps for children, teens, and adults with neurodiversity conditions.

Ensignia, a tennis instructor and the founder of Miami’s longstanding tennis academy, has high hopes for DETA Friends and sees it helping individuals to thrive through sports.

“Not everyone will turn pro. Not everyone will compete, even at the amateur level. But you know what? That’s okay because tennis and pickleball can be the gateway to new opportunities,” he says. Sports have played a pivotal role in the success of my family. And now, we’re using sports to help others achieve their own victories.”

David Ensignia – Image courtesy of Voyage MIA Magazine

Established in 2023, DETA Friends is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring equal access to sports programs, particularly through the transformative influence of racquet sports. For more information, visit detafriends.org.