Young and aspiring tennis players in Wareham may soon have reason to celebrate.

Gleason Family YMCA officials are planning to turn their currently under-utilized outdoor skateboard park into a tennis court that could be used by youth programs, adults, and even for United States Tennis Association tournaments.

The decision to create the regulation-sized tennis court is about 85% finalized, said Laura Prisco, executive director of the Gleason YMCA, and depends on whether the Y can secure additional sources of funding.

"We do have an idea to [come up with funds], but we're not 100% sure how feasible the idea is," said Prisco.

If the funding does come through, Prisco envisions the court to open up by the summer of 2013, she said.

Though Prisco envisions the court will be open for adults in the evenings, the preferred use of the new court will be for youth and family programs.

One of those programs is called "After the Bell," an initiative where kids come to the YMCA after school to do their homework and to participate in unique activities such as rock climbing, shooting a bow and arrow, and now, playing tennis.

Another YMCA program that will expand with the new tennis court is called "Quick Start."

The Quick Start program is a national program currently being promoted by the United States Tennis Association and uses smaller courts, smaller racquets, large foam-type balls, and lower nets to help kids learn tennis fundamentals.

"The ball is lighter, easier to hit over the net," said Greg Baker, youth and teen director at the Gleason Family YMCA who also oversees the Y's sports programs, "so it allows kids to learn the fundamentals without that frustration."

Learning without frustration makes for a more enjoyable game, said Baker.

"They love it. ... They're able to feel their success quickly, as opposed to spending a whole tennis lesson missing the ball," he said.

The Quick Start program, which is held in 8 week sessions for children as young as 6, was started in the YMCA gymnasium a few years ago with a donation of start-up equipment by Geoff Swett, current chairman of the Gleason Family YMCA's Board of Managers, according to Prisco.

Creating a designated space for tennis instead of having to borrow the basketball courts will help the YMCA build a fuller tennis program, said Prisco.

"Once we have a dedicated space for a program it kind of becomes its own," said Prisco. "I think with one court we should be able to grow the program and maybe someday put in a second court."

The court could also be used for Quick Start tournaments, which could bring money into the Y via entry fees and other sources, Prisco said.

Swett, who is also the girls tennis coach at Wareham High School, sees the outdoor court as a natural step in helping to promote tennis in Wareham at a young age.

"This was a natural evolution for taking kids that were with the [Quick Start] program starting from 7 years old … and now maybe three years have gone by, but they don't have to leave the Y to play real tennis," Swett said.

Swett said that he hopes a successful tennis program at the YMCA will help expose kids to tennis before they reach Wareham High School.

"Towns that have successful tennis teams have feeder programs," Swett explained. "And it would be great if the [new court] could become the high school feeder program."

The location for the outdoor tennis court is currently a skateboard park that, despite good intentions, has been under-utilized by Wareham youth.

The skate park was the Y's attempt to "come up with something for teens to do, but the problem is that the teens that were interested in the park when we first built it are no longer interested," said Prisco.

One of the reasons that teens did not want to use the park was because they did not want to wear helmets, said Prisco, adding that the YMCA was simply not willing to compromise on that rule.

Prisco said that the fundamental goal of the YMCA is to give teens something to do. Building an outdoor tennis court is in line with that goal, she noted.

Though Prisco and Swett cautioned that current plans are simply for one new tennis court, which is far from a comprehensive tennis program, both were optimistic about its ability to bring tennis to Wareham's youth.

"If you add one more court and instructor to Wareham kids, it's all good," said Swett. "It's a small step, but all small steps are important."