INTENNSE and Inspiring Children Foundation Announce Landmark Mental Health Alliance

INTENNSE and Inspiring Children Foundation Announce Landmark Mental Health Alliance

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, March 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- INTENNSE today announced an alliance with the Inspiring Children Foundation (ICF), which will serve as the exclusive league-level charity for INTENNSE. Through this alliance, INTENNSE will integrate ICF’s best-in-class mental health tools and curriculum into the fabric of the league.

Tennis is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful, disciplined, and storied sports in the world, yet it has also long been among the most isolating. Athletes are often expected to train, compete, and travel alone, carrying significant emotional pressure and burden without consistent, structured support, and this isolation has been normalized for generations even as its mental and emotional consequences have become impossible to ignore.

INTENNSE is challenging that legacy by building a league structure that reminds players and families, at every level, that they are not alone and that authentically connecting to oneself and others is not a weakness but a performance advantage.

INTENNSE is the first professional tennis league built from the ground up to put the athlete first, to embed emotional and mental health into the league’s architecture, business model, and community experience rather than treating mental health as an add-on or afterthought.

“INTENNSE’s approach spans generations and levels of play, bringing together adults, seniors, juniors, recreational players, league competitors, and elite professionals in a shared community grounded in well‑being and belonging” said INTENNSE Chief Executive Officer Charles Allen. “The mental and emotional challenges in tennis have been hiding in plain sight for decades, and we believe it’s time for a different model. Working together with the Inspiring Children Foundation, we are building a league where emotional and mental health are on the court, in the locker room, and in the stands, where no player, coach, or family ever has to feel like they are carrying the weight of the sport alone.

Together, we want every person who experiences INTENNSE to feel seen, supported, and reminded that their whole life, not just their forehand, matters.”

The partnership with the Inspiring Children Foundation is a natural extension of this vision. For more than 25 years, ICF has developed and refined tennis-specific mental health tools, curriculum, and programming, grounded in its 10 Pillars of Healing, Growth, and High-Performance Living. Originally developed in elite training and travel environments, and then honed through decades of real world application with at-risk youth and athletes, these pillars now sit at the heart of the alliance with INTENNSE.

“INTENNSE is aligning professional tennis with something we have seen to be true for more than two decades – that when you prioritize a person’s inner life with the same intention as their outer performance, everything changes,” said Ryan Wolfington, Founder of the Inspiring Children Foundation. “By bringing our 10 Pillars and the Not Alone Program into the ecosystem of a professional league, we are helping to normalize seeking support, build emotional resilience, and create a culture where players are celebrated not just for how they compete, but for how they grow as people.”

Through this partnership, INTENNSE is integrating the Inspiring Children Foundation’s Not Alone Program across the league, ensuring that emotional and mental health support reaches players, coaches, staff, and the broader community. The Not Alone Program includes the: Not Alone Challenge, Not Alone Summit, Not Alone Awards, and the Not Alone Curriculum & Mental Health Toolkit (a comprehensive suite of tools and resources designed to foster healing, growth, and connection). By embedding these programs into league operations, INTENNSE is emphasizing that support should not be something players and families have to search for, it will be present wherever and however anyone participates in the ecosystem.

This vision is powered by a uniquely diverse and experienced leadership group that includes lived experience experts, former professional players, teaching pros, league competitors, recreational players, junior athletes, junior parents, thought leaders, governance experts, and entertainment innovators.

From decades of experience in tennis and in human development, it has become clear to ICF and the staff at INTENNSE that when well‑being comes first, players tend to stay with sports longer, engage more deeply, strengthen their sense of identity, and achieve more sustainable performance. Together, INTENNSE and the Inspiring Children Foundation are creating an environment where athletes are supported in getting their inner life right with the same intention as their outside performance, fully embracing a Whole Human approach to development.

With the 2026 INTENNSE season set to begin on June 5, the Inspiring Children Foundation’s tools will be actively present on the court and throughout the community.

INTENNSE’s 2026 season will run through Championship Weekend, August 2, 2026. For more information visit: www.intennse.com.
Season ticket deposits for 2026 are now being accepted at INTENNSE Tickets.

For partnership information, contact Kevin at Kevin@intennse.com.

About INTENNSE:
INTENNSE is a fast-paced, team-based format designed to elevate both player performance and fan engagement. Featuring simplified scoring, nonstop action, and an immersive environment, INTENNSE is bringing new energy and a new narrative to the sport of tennis. The league enters the 2026 season with 10-teams all based out of Assembly Studios in Atlanta, GA. Learn more at www.intennse.com.

About Inspiring Children Foundation
The Inspiring Children Foundation has transformed the lives of at-risk youth for over 25 years with a whole human approach to physical, social, emotional & mental health.
The program arms at-risk youth with everything they need to be physically, emotionally and mentally healthy in a fun and inspirational way, both online and in person. This ecosystem of excellence includes: emotional intelligence, mindfulness/meditation, group counseling, mentoring, leadership development, entrepreneurship skills, nutrition, wellness, tennis, sleep science, and academics. ICF serves millions online, thousands in-person, and hundreds in its award-winning Leadership Program where 95% of students earn college scholarships and 98% have reported remission from anxiety, depression & suicidal ideation. ICF’s best-in-class curriculum is being implemented in schools, nonprofits, corporations, and athletic programs worldwide. Learn more by visiting InspiringChildren.org

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Jeff Altstadter
For The Sport d/b/a INTENNSE
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