Breaking ground to bring year-round tennis to Canadian communities with Tennis Canada
New communities will have access to year-round tennis later this year, as Tennis Canada announced the next four facilities to receive funding as part of the new Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers.
With the aim of building 160 new year-round courts at up to 30 facilities across Canada by 2029, this $5.6 million multi-year program will make year-round tennis a reality for thousands of Canadians and help grow participation amongst youth and empower the next generation of high-performance athletes. Currently, only 10% of Canada’s courts are covered for year-round play, leaving thousands of communities without access to tennis for the majority of the year.
“These year-round covered courts are helping to grow the sport of tennis in Canada and providing communities with opportunities to stay active. As a pro tennis player, I know first-hand that accessibility for kids, and up-and-coming high-performance athletes, is truly helping to empower the next generation of Canadians.”
– Bianca Andreescu, Team Rogers Athlete, Canadian and 2019 US Open champion
Stratford, Toronto, and Thunder Bay in Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta were announced as the communities receive funding in 2023, with local soil-turning events taking place over the next two weeks, starting today in Stratford. Together, 19 year-round tennis courts will be added to those communities, accessible to over 1.7 million Canadians and accounting for over 1,800 additional court hours per week during the winter months.
These new facilities will join the first four announced in 2022 in Markham and Hamilton (Ontario), Calgary (Alberta) and Waterloo (Quebec). The facilities have since seen increased membership and indoor court bookings over the winter.
To learn more about the program, please visit Tennis Canada.
Anita Comella, Senior Director of Facilities Development, Tennis Canada, third from right, is joined by (left to right) Jim Boyce, President & CEO, Ontario Tennis Association, Suzanne DeKay, Vice-Chair, Membership and Regional Development, Martin Ritsma, Mayor, Stratford, Ontario, Adam Seigel, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Clubs of Canada, Jeremy van den Heuvel, Sr. Manager of Sales for Southwestern Ontario, Rogers Communications, and Stephen Fischer, President of Stratford Tennis Club, far right, for the announcement of the first of four municipalities to be getting a covered court as part of Tennis Canada’s Covered Courts Initiative in 2023 at the Stratford Winter Tennis Club, in Stratford, Ontario on March 9, 2023. The building of covered courts will allow more players to practice throughout the year, regardless of the weather. This is the fifth covered courts partnership since the program was started in 2022. (Photo by Peter Power for Tennis Canada)
Robert Pawliuk, Associate Vice President of Support and Recreation Service, University of Alberta, Russ Sluchinski, Tennis Manager, University of Alberta, Anita Comella, Senior Director of Facilities Development, Tennis Canada, Alan Mackin, Executive Director, Tennis Alberta, Karina Trkulja, Executive Director, Edmonton Junior Tennis Society and Don Abraham, Senior Manager, Rogers Business, Rogers Communications
Michael Downey, President and CEO at Tennis Canada, far left, is joined by other dignitaries for the Soil Turning Event, 2023 Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program at the San Romanoway Tennis Club in North York, Ont. on March 9, 2023. The building of covered courts will allow more players to practice year round. From left to right are, Michael Downey, Dianne Weatherby, Chair of the Board, OTA, Larry Greer, SVP Tax and Government Relations, RPMS, Ayesha Kandeh, Philpott Children’s Tennis Coach, Kevin Green, President & CEO, Greenwin, Thuginthan Thurai, Philpott Children’s Tennis Coach, Anthony Perruzza, Counsellor, City of Toronto, Caroline Cameron, Broadcaster, Sportsnet, on behalf of Rogers Communications, Tom Rakocevic, MPP, Humber River-Black Creek, and Jennifer Bishop, Chair of the Board, Philpott Children’s Tennis. (Photo by Peter Power for Tennis Canada)
Eva Havaris, Vice President of Participation and Partnerships at Tennis Canada, is joined by other dignitaries for the soil-turning event at Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre in Thunder Bay, ON on March 13, 2023. The building of covered courts will allow more constituents to play tennis year-round. From left to right are Eva Havaris, Dianne Weatherby, Chair of the Board, OTA, Jason Everett, President of the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre, Kevin Holland, MPP Thunder Bay – Atikokan, Mayor Ken Boshcoff, City of Thunder Bay, and Pasi Pinta, Project Manager of the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre. (Photo: James Mirabelli / Tennis Canada).