TENNIS, REINVENTED: HOW INTENNSE IS CHANGING THE GAME || MARCEL0 FERREIRA & OLIVER BELL || EPISODE 088

Description

INTENNSE Tennis: Inside the League with Marcelo Ferreira and Oliver BellIn this interview, I sit down with two leaders behind INTENNSE, the fast-growing professional tennis league redefining how the sport is played and watched.Marcelo Ferreira is the Head Coach of Team Atlanta and the Director of the High-Performance Tennis Academy at Windy Hill Athletic Club.Oliver Bell is the Chief Financial Officer of INTENNSE, overseeing the league's finance, legal, HR and operations.What is INTENNSE?INTENNSE is a co-ed, team-based pro tennis league built for speed. Matches are played in 10-minute "BOLTs" with a running clock, simple point-based scoring, and live substitutions. A full team matchup (an "ARC") combines men's, women's and mixed singles and doubles.In this interview, we cover:• How INTENNSE started and the vision behind it• Where the league stands today• The direction it's heading and what's next• Why Atlanta's tennis community made it the ideal home for the league• How the player draft works• How the game is played, including the format and rulesChapters00:00 The Problem with Professional Tennis02:19 How Intense Tennis Started08:36 The Fast-Paced Match Format10:53 Expanding Beyond Atlanta13:26 The Business of a 90-Minute Match16:11 Vetting Players for Personality19:07 Player Salaries and Contracts26:13 Building a Grassroots Movement29:57 The Revenue Model and Sponsors33:40 Equal Pay Across Genders39:19 Choosing New Cities for Expansion44:40 Recruiting and NCAA Rules48:54 The Role of Pulse Partners51:25 What Could Kill the League?57:17 What Winning Means to Us