Hamptons Community Tennis Academy opens affordable, inclusive East End training hub

Hamptons Community Tennis Academy is trying to solve the East End’s most familiar tennis problem: the sport often feels locked behind private-club pricing, summer scarcity and an intimidating social barrier. By basing itself at Hampton Bays Elementary School, 72 Ponquogue Avenue, the academy is putting public-school access at the center of its model instead of club membership and seasonal exclusivity.

That location matters. Hampton Bays gives HCTA a base that is practical for Suffolk County families who have felt priced out of tennis in the Hamptons, and the academy’s own materials lean into that idea with a public phone number, 631.856.1880, and email, info@hamptonscta.com. Its tagline, “Engaging Aptitude Through Tennis,” fits the pitch: make the sport welcoming, then make it repeatable.

The 2026 junior camp slate runs June 29 through August 21, with an extended day that reaches 12:30 p.m. The Foundations track, aimed at grades 1 through 8, runs Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. That gives younger beginners a place to start while older players can move into a more advanced path that prepares them for school teams and tournament play. HCTA also offers Saturday adult clinics from late May through early September, capped at six players per court and separated by ability so the session feels like actual instruction, not just a crowded hit.

The academy’s price structure is part of the point. A 2025 school flyer listed summer camp at $195 per week for ages 6 to 17, with a $35 weekly surcharge for non-Suffolk students and multi-week discounts. That flyer said camps ran July 7 through August 22, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, with players grouped by age and ability. That kind of pricing is exactly what makes a Hampton Bays program feel different from the usual Hamptons model.

HCTA is also building a competitive pipeline. Its Strawberry Bowl 2025 was an open UTR event at Hampton Bays Elementary with two divisions, UTR under 4 for players 17 and under and UTR under 10 for all ages. It also included a complimentary juniors clinic for players 18 and under on July 13 at 10 a.m. The academy’s calendar shows USTA junior tournament play at the site as well, turning the school into more than a lesson court.

The staff gives the project local credibility. Jordan Reiley, who grew up in Manorville and coached competitive juniors from Long Island to Miami and Spain, is a key figure. Antoine Audrain brings French junior-tour experience along with Division I and NAIA background in the United States. Onalee Batcheller, a Westhampton Beach native, helped fuel her high school’s Long Island championship run and later competed at SUNY New Paltz. In a Hamptons tennis landscape that includes East Hampton Tennis Club’s 15 Har-Tru courts and SPORTIME’s 25-acre Amagansett site serving 500 to 1,000 players and campers a day in summer, HCTA is carving out a different lane: cheaper, less intimidating and built for families who want tennis to feel local again.