Maria Moya Tennis Academy — Website Design & Build

Maria Moya Tennis Academy is a coaching-led tennis programme based in Nosara, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Founded by Maria Moya, a lifelong player and coach, the academy offers private lessons, group clinics, junior programmes and court access across hard and clay surfaces.

As the academy grew, it needed a website that could communicate the quality of the coaching, attract visiting players and locals alike, and handle bookings and payments in a country where standard tools like Stripe aren't available.

The academy had outgrown word-of-mouth. Maria needed a digital presence that felt as personal and considered as her coaching, while solving a practical problem: accepting payments online in Costa Rica, where Stripe doesn't operate.

The site also needed to serve two very different audiences. Visiting tourists looking for a holiday activity, and committed local players looking for serious coaching. The tone had to bridge both without diluting either.

I approached the website as an extension of the academy's character.

Maria's coaching philosophy is warm but disciplined, personal but professional. The site needed to reflect that. I built in Framer, working with the academy's photography to create something that felt grounded in the Nosara landscape, lush, open and unhurried, while keeping the structure tight and commercially focused.

Typography and layout were kept clean and editorial. The photography did most of the emotional work, so I gave it space, using large images and restrained text to let the setting and the coaching speak for themselves.

The biggest technical challenge was payments.

Stripe doesn't exist in Costa Rica, which ruled out most standard booking and checkout flows. I researched and integrated an alternative payment infrastructure that worked locally, building the front-end experience so it felt seamless and trustworthy to both international visitors and local clients.

This wasn't just a technical fix. The payment flow had to feel as polished as the rest of the site, because for many visitors it would be their first interaction with the academy.

The academy offers a range of services, from private coaching to group clinics to court hire. I structured the information architecture so each offering was easy to find and understand, without overwhelming first-time visitors.

The homepage was designed around a clear conversion path: understand the academy, meet Maria, explore the coaching options, get in touch. I integrated a contact flow that made enquiries simple, and built the site so Maria could update content, pricing and schedules independently.

The site gave Maria Moya Tennis Academy a professional digital home that matches the quality of the coaching. It handles bookings and payments in a market where most off-the-shelf solutions don't work, and serves as the primary channel for attracting new players to the academy.