Tennis Canada and Rogers Host Grand Openings of Year-Round Tennis Court Facilities in Edmonton, AB and Waterloo, QC
Fully accessible, year-round tennis is now a reality for more than 1.6 million community members in Edmonton, AB and Waterloo, QC as part of the Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers, which funded the construction of air-supported domes over existing courts at the Saville Tennis Centre at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and Club de Tennis François Godbout in Waterloo.
Funded jointly by Tennis Canada and Rogers, the $5.6 million program helps foster increased participation amongst youth by building 160 indoor courts at up to 30 facilities by 2029. With the addition of Waterloo and Edmonton, in only the second year of the program, 26 tennis courts have been covered at five facilities in five municipalities spanning three provinces, with another completed project in Stratford, ON set to be unveiled later this month. The national program was created to address the fact that there is currently only one year-round court for every 50,000 Canadians, despite a 2018 survey that revealed more than half of Canadians would play more tennis if they had access to convenient and affordable covered courts.
Rogers is committed to making sports and play more accessible for youth, communities and the next generation of athletes, by investing in sports programs and infrastructure across Canada. This commitment comes to life through this partnership with Tennis Canada, and others like Rogers First Set, a new, national program launching in 2024 to introduce youth in Canada to the sport of tennis in a welcoming, safe and positive environment.
“I’d first like to congratulate the club operators at Saville Tennis Centre, University of Alberta and Club de Tennis François Godbout,” said Michael Downey, Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada. “In just the second year of this program, we are seeing fantastic results and our pipeline of interested municipalities and clubs just keeps growing. We would also like to thank Rogers for the crucial capital seed money they provide. With more year-round projects set to be announced next spring, this program is well on its way to achieving its objective of providing more opportunities for Canadians to play 12 months a year. We encourage other communities and facility operators to explore potential projects in their municipalities.”
As momentum for the Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers continues to grow, you can learn more about the program and email [email protected] to find out how you can help kick start a project in your municipality.