About

ABOUT US

Since its founding, UTurn has been grounded in our mission to create an environment that encourages fellowship, inspires leadership, and spreads hope. UTurn is a community devoted to elevating the lives of those in the Greater Richmond area through our hospitality and sports programming. We are committed to bringing individuals together to form a community, from hosting sporting and community events to offering physical space for coworking and nonprofit collaboration.

Always warm and welcoming, UTurn has something for everyone!

OUR HISTORY

In 1991, Paul Manning founded U-Turn Sports Performance Academy (now known simply as “UTurn”). His original mission was to teach tennis strokes to youth on the city courts of Byrd Park, which he did through regular training sessions and mentorship.

Thanks to the generous support of Tom and Nancy Chewning and many other donors, UTurn renovated a 160,000 sq. ft. building into an indoor sports facility. For years, the organization continually expanded its capacity to deliver quality sports programming, including basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball, as well as leadership development skills and mentoring to the youth of Richmond.

In 2012, UTurn expanded on its mission to support the faith community by offering affordable worship and programming space. In 2019, UTurn again expanded to further support the nonprofit community by powering the launch of The Collaboratory of Virginia (“CVA”), a center for nonprofit programming, capacity building, and resource sharing. CVA is Richmond’s first coworking space for nonprofits.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, UTurn continually pivoted to accommodate our community's needs to provide programming in a safe environment. As we emerge from the pandemic, we remain focused on fulfilling all aspects of our mission, while also continuing to make adjustments based on the needs of our community. Most importantly, we will always remain committed to encourage fellowship, inspire leadership, and spread hope.