We’ve got it covered, Calgary! Breaking ground with Tennis Canada’s Covered Courts Program presented by Rogers
The Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre (ATC), Calgary’s premier, state-of-the-art tennis facility, has begun construction on the installation of its first-ever fully covered courts, providing an additional 70,000 hours of play for members and visitors. The project is part of Tennis Canada’s Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers to expand Canada’s network of indoor courts.
The tennis bubble will allow year-round play for ATC’s five outdoor courts and enable the club to grow several programs for Calgarians. The club’s High Performance Training Program is expected to take in an additional 30-50 children per week, meeting Tennis Canada and Long-Term Athlete Development guidelines. The ATC’s SHE CAN PLAY Girls tennis program, School Tennis Program, Wheelchair & Autism programs also anticipate significant growth and increased participation.
“We are proud to invest in Alberta and the terrific work Tennis Canada is doing to enable year-round tennis to increase participation locally amongst youth, community members, and the next generation of high-performance athletes. Congratulations to the Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre on beginning construction of its first covered courts as we continue to help grow the sport of tennis and providing even more opportunities to keep youth and our community active in Calgary.”
– Larry Goerzen, President of Alberta & Prairies, Rogers Communications
In early 2021, Tennis Canada and Rogers announced a joint $5.6 million multi-year investment and partnership with a goal to build 160 new year-round courts at up to 30 facilities by 2029, making year-round tennis a reality for thousands of Canadians.
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.
Earlier this year, Tennis Canada announced the beginning of similar projects in Waterloo (QC), and Ancaster and Markham (ON). With this new build underway at ATC in Calgary, the partnership with Rogers has helped to fund 20 covered courts across these four communities, each set to open this fall.
Rogers is committed to making sports and play more accessible for 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 other initiatives including the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour and supporting Jays Care Foundation.