For nearly four decades, the South Florida Tennis Club (SFTC) has brought players together through tennis, creating a space centered on competition, friendship, and inclusivity.
Founded in 1987, SFTC is a nonprofit organization that develops and coordinates tennis activities for the LGBTQ+ community and its friends throughout South Florida. The club welcomes players of all backgrounds and skill levels while offering competitive and social tennis opportunities. The organization also contributes to local charities each year, extending its impact beyond the tennis court.
For Ray Hilario, SFTC’s business developer, maintaining that welcoming atmosphere while continuing to grow the club is one of his priorities.
“What makes our club unique is we’re very LGBTQ friendly, and then we also, of course, embrace everybody else,” Hilario said. “We have such a warm and embracing nature.”
That atmosphere can be seen every Sunday during the club’s popular round robin. Hilario has experimented with different ways to mix players and skill levels, including using a random generator to create matchups. The idea is to encourage members to play with people they might not normally meet while keeping each Sunday different and enjoyable.
“We try and make it as fun as possible,” Hilario said. “Sometimes we even play music. We’ll have snacks. So, it’s not just tennis. You meet a lot of really great people and you make some friends there, too.”
But the social atmosphere doesn’t take away from the competition. Hilario believes that can sometimes be a misconception surrounding LGBTQ+ sports organizations.
“We’re also really competitive,” Hilario said. “A lot of us have the most competitive matches, and we’re there screaming like, ‘Come on!’ and ‘Let’s go!’ Aside from us being so inclusive and embracing, we also bring a lot of competitiveness into it.”
SFTC offers much more than its Sunday round robin. The club organizes competitive singles and doubles ladders during the spring and fall, giving players across different levels the opportunity to compete over several months before playoffs. At the conclusion of the ladders, members come together for a ceremony and catered food, adding another social element to the competition.
The club also holds team tennis twice a year, where players from different skill levels can compete together.
“It can be an A player playing with a B player and a C player, and that’s your team,” Hilario said. “You get to meet different levels of play, and then you get to compete in that also.”
Most importantly, participation is not limited to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“You don’t need to be in the LGBT community to join,” Hilario said. “We embrace literally everybody and all levels of players, too.”
Hilario experienced that sense of community himself after moving to Florida from Texas. He began playing tennis in high school, initially thinking it would be an easy sport before quickly discovering its challenges and falling in love with the game. After high school, he continued competing before eventually relocating to South Florida.
“When I moved over here to Florida, I was looking for teams and I found the South Florida Tennis Club,” Hilario said. “I’ve been playing with them ever since, and it’s been the best thing ever.”
The relationships he has developed through the sport have become an important part of his life.
“A lot of my best friends come from tennis,” he said. “To me, tennis is a big part of my life.”
Looking beyond SFTC, Hilario hopes to see greater LGBTQ+ visibility at the professional level. He believes seeing openly LGBTQ+ athletes competing on the sport’s biggest stages could help others feel more comfortable and represented.
“I feel like having more visibility just gives everybody that feeling of, ‘Hey, if they can do it, I can do it too,’” Hilario said.
That sense of belonging reflects what SFTC has worked to create since 1987: a place where players can compete seriously, develop friendships, and feel welcome regardless of their background or playing level.
“Check us out, give it a try, and you never know,” Hilario said. “You’re probably going to love it and want to keep going every Sunday.”
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