Meet Richard Spurling | Founder and Executive Director, ACEing Autism

Hi Richard, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how? As the founder of ACEing Autism, social impact is the reason our organization exists. We use tennis as a vehicle to create opportunity, connection, and belonging for children on the autism spectrum—many of whom have limited access to inclusive sports and physical activity. Through our programs, children build motor skills, confidence, and social engagement in a supportive, one-on-one environment designed around their individual needs. Equally important is the impact on the broader community. ACEing Autism brings together families, volunteers, coaches, and tennis facilities to foster understanding, empathy, and inclusion. Our volunteer-based model trains and empowers thousands of young people to work directly with children with autism, creating meaningful relationships that extend far beyond the tennis court. By building sustainable programs nationwide and partnering with local communities, we are not only improving quality of life for participants and their families, but also changing perceptions of what inclusion in sport can and should look like.