The San Diego Aviators, apart of the Mylan World Team Tennis, are back for their second season after going 10-4 and placing first in the Western Conference during the 2014 season.
This year the team will play its home games at the Omni La Costa Spa and Resort in Carlsbad rather then the Valley View Casino Center, where the team played last year.
It was a move, according to the team’s CEO Billy Berger that has been in the discussion for a while.
“The Omni La Costa is one the nicest resorts in San Diego, and the United State honestly,” Berger said. “Anybody who has visited there knows how nice of a place it is, and we are very excited to be playing our home games there this season.”
A move to the Omni La Costa was not only an upgrade in venue, but a move to North County—a popular tennis hub in San Diego—also played a big role in the decision.
“With Carlsbad, Vista, Carmel Valley, La Jolla, Oceanside, Del Mar Heights and many more, there are so many tennis fans, and people playing tennis, and we hope to get them involved with our program,” Berger said. “If you live in North County and have kids , all under the time frame of getting to the (Valley View Casino Center) with traffic and all that stuff, it’s tough.”
One of the ways that the Aviators will get North County involved is by having a tournament between junior teams ages 10-18 that will have their North County club teams square off against each other, and the winner will be showcased center-court during an Aviators match.
Berger hopes that with a heightened audience people will realize the spectacle that the Aviators put on, which he described as “a beach party where a tennis game breaks out.”
There will be interactive games and activities for kids, lifestyle booths with things like stand-up paddle boarding and cycling and music to truly make each game an ‘event’, Berger said.
Even with all the extra activities going on, he emphasized that what makes the event so special is that these are still tennis professionals that people are treated to.
“One thing we will not do is bastardize the tennis product,” Berger said. “The great thing is that these people are pros, and the tennis product will reflect that.”
The team will look a little different from last year’s as per Mylan World Team Tennis rules there is a draft every season, but teams can retain players by the expense of vacating draft picks.
The 2015 regular season is scheduled to run from July 12-29.
