Frequent Questions

Participants should bring an age-appropriate tennis racquet and ample water for proper hydration. If a snack is suggested (i.e. for tennis camp), please be sure that it is “nut-free.”

Participants should wear tennis sneakers, comfortable clothing and, if applicable, sun protection including a hat to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. For those programs offering waterslide use, children may wear bathing suits underneath their tennis clothes and bring a towel.

For your safety, please wear tennis or pickleball shoes (not running shoes), bring your own pickleball paddle, and water.

Yes, tennis pros are equipped with junior-sized racquets for sale. Junior racquets sizes 21-inch, 23-inch and 25-inch cost $30 each. Junior racquets size 26” cost $45. Adult racquets size 27-inch cost $45. Tip: Children should be able to swing and maneuver a racquet without it controlling them. When standing straight with arms at their side, the racquet length should be from the floor to their fingertips. Our head teaching pros are a valuable resource for determining age-appropriate racquets for children as well as grip size for adult players. Inquire with a head pro at any of our programs for details.

Policies for rain make-ups may vary among towns. Please refer to your town’s website for specific information.

Your child is ready for match play when they can consistently serve the ball and maintain a slow-paced rally.

Most programs encourage online registration. Please refer to each town’s website for details.

Yes, please contact us regarding availability and rates.

For ages 5 through 9, we offer indoor programs using junior nets at some area schools. In addition, Newtown Parks & Recreation offers an indoor program at NYA Sports & Fitness in Newtown for children and adults to play from November through April. Non-residents are welcome.

Usually by the end of February for that year.

Our programs arrange participants by playing level and ability according to the descriptions below. To ensure the appropriate level, participants may be switched during a session. Pee Wees: Children, ages 3-5, with or without any prior instruction. Beginner: Player has either never held a racquet or has played sparingly without having formal instruction. Advanced Beginner: Player has completed a beginner class or has had an introduction to grips and strokes and is starting to make contact with the ball on a regular basis. Low Intermediate: Player is starting to keep the ball in play, is learning to serve, can volley and is learning court positioning. Intermediate: Player can keep the ball in play consistently, can hit with some spin and can serve and volley consistently. Advanced Junior Camp: Players must be able to serve consistently and have experience playing matches. Adult Cardio Point Play: Player can keep the ball in play in a high intensity workout moving continuously between offense and defense.

Beginner/Advanced Beginner: Instruction for those with no or limited experience to learn the basics of the sport. This includes basic skills, rules, scoring, and proper court etiquette. Low Intermediate/Intermediate: Instruction to enhance skills (dink, serve, volley) including shot selection, game & court awareness and point strategies. Continue to learn scoring, rules, and proper court etiquette.

Fairfield County Tennis will only provide a make-up if the class is canceled by the town. For other make-ups, Fairfield County Tennis will always do our best to accommodate. However, a make-up clinic can only be offered if the level and age is appropriate providing there is an opening on the court, possibly on another day/time. There are no refunds.

The Social Services office in your town will determine your family’s eligibility. If your child qualifies for a free or reduced lunch, the Recreation Department in your town can verify that with the Social Services Department. The Recreation Department will contact Fairfield County Tennis at that time to provide a discount, and you will be notified.

This refers to a USTA program that we utilize for juniors using modified equipment to help them learn tennis faster by making it easier and more fun. As a part of this program, we use lower-compression, color-coded balls as described below: Red ball: Felt ball with low compression designed for ages 3-6. Larger ball with a slower bounce is perfect to develop hand-eye coordination to allow younger players to become successful hitting the ball. Orange ball: Slightly more compression than red ball and used for ages 6-9 or those who have the beginning skills to make contact with the ball on a regular basis. Green ball: More compression than orange ball and used for ages 10-12 before transitioning to a regular tennis ball.