The IISOH seeks to develop a comprehensive collection on the subject of Tennis. The goal is to collect and preserve for posterity all of the literature in the world on this subject. The game originated in France as far back as the 12th century according to most historians. It was very popular with royalty such as Henry VIII of England. Even William Shakespeare mentioned tennis in his play Henry V in 1599. We seek to obtain all the literature on the sport in every language of the world, so this is a challenge. The game has grown to be very popular and the literature will include history, biographies of great players, programs from competitions, posters as well as memorabilia for the Museum.
Today there is a professional tennis circuit with competitions such as the Davis Cup, The Championships at Wimbledon, The U.S. Open, the French Open, and the Australia Cup. Tennis is part of the program of the Modern Olympic Games. It is taught as part of most Physical Education programs in high schools and universities and is a very popular recreational activity in every community. There are fancy tennis clubs with well-groomed grass courts as well as crumbling asphalt courts in almost every neighborhood in every city. Part of our mission is research oriented so facility design and participant safety are also major projects for our Institute.
The Museum will have both indoor and outdoor courts on which to play. The IISOH has a mission to educate the public on the history of the game and promote understanding of the game through the arts and humanities. We plan to have facilities to play and participate as the method of educating the public so that the visitor is learning both the history of the game as well as the technique and skills of playing. Our Museum is a sports complex where history, the present, and the future combine in the experience. While our endowment goal is eight million Dollars individual endowments can be created with a minimum of $1,000,000 in order to have naming rights.
Wrestling Collection
Basketball Collection
Soccer Collection