Build Better Players, Build a Stronger Culture: UF Coach Per Nilsson’s Playbook for College Tennis Leadership

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Racquet Fuel

Athlete+

62 episodes

1 week ago

Racquet Fuel provides insights into the best practices and innovations of racquets industry business leaders. Co-hosts Kim Bastable, Director of Professional Tennis Management at the University of Florida, and Simon Gale, Senior Director Racquet Sports Development at the USTA National Campus, help racquets leaders in your ability to grow the game and to improve the experiences you offer to both your staff and players by talking to industry leaders, including USTA executives, authors and innovators. If you are on a career path in racquet sports or already a racquets business leader and you want to stay up to date on ideas and innovations in racquets industry business and leadership, this podcast is for you. Presented by the Athlete+ Podcast Network at the University of Florida Institute for Coaching Excellence.

All content for Racquet Fuel is the property of Athlete+ and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Tennis

Education,

Sports

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Build Better Players, Build a Stronger Culture: UF Coach Per Nilsson’s Playbook for College Tennis Leadership

Racquet Fuel

34 minutes

2 months ago

Build Better Players, Build a Stronger Culture: UF Coach Per Nilsson’s Playbook for College Tennis Leadership

Racquet Fuel hosts Kim Bastable and Simon Gale sit down with Per Nilsson, head men’s tennis coach at the University of Florida, for a leadership-first conversation about college tennis. Per shares the two cornerstones of his program—deeply individualized player development and a deliberately small, connected roster—and how those choices shape culture, performance, and recruiting. He also unpacks navigating a mid-season transition at UF, why self-care makes you a better leader, and how building a community hub can future-proof the sport on campus.

What You’ll Learn

The two cornerstones of Per’s program: maximize individual development while fostering a tight, small roster that pushes each other (think 7–8 players on a mission).
How to individualize daily work so every athlete gets what they need (e.g., surplus-one patterns for one player, mental skills for another) instead of rolling out the same plan for all.
Leading through a mid-year coaching transition: keep people whole in the moment, make the hard calls later, and align around a new vision.
You’re never “ready”—learn faster: over-communicate up/down, ask questions relentlessly, and shape authority with clarity.
Why self-care is leadership: turn the phone off, protect family time, then show up better for your team.
Future-proofing college tennis: build a campus community hub (donors, fans, shared value) so tennis becomes “untouchable” when cuts are considered.
Steal like a coach: Per openly “copies” what works, adapts it to his context, and keeps what produces results.

Guest:
Per Nilsson - Head Men’s Tennis Coach, University of Florida (Gators Men’s Tennis).
Hosts:
Kim Bastable - UF Director of Racquet Sports education
Simon Gale - USTA leader & facility executive

Learn More & Get Certified

Racquet Fuel is powered by the University of Florida’s Director of Racquet Sports Certificate Program, the industry’s leading education for current and aspiring racquets leaders. Explore our self-paced online courses—Personal Brand Management, Operations & Programming, and Leadership & Finance—and join the next generation of directors shaping the future of the game.

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