Tennis Canada has announced four municipalities that will receive funding to develop four tennis courts that will be fully covered through its Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers.
The four municipalities that will receive the year-round tennis facilities are located in Toronto, Stratford, Ont., and Thunder Bay, Ont., as well as Edmonton, Alta. Each project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2023-24 fall and winter seasons.
Jointly funded by Rogers and Tennis Canada, the $5.6 million Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program has a goal of building 160 new year-round courts across Canada by 2029.
Canada is behind most other countries when it comes to year-round tennis access, with there currently only being one year-round court per 50,000 Canadian residents. This project hopes to improve those numbers, and make tennis 12 months a year a reality for players across the country.
The four new facilities will provide an additional 1,881 hours of court hours during the winter months.
In 2022, the first completed projects were revealed in Markham and Hamilton, Ont. and Calgary, Alta., bringing the total year-round tennis courts supplied by the project to 11.
“We are delighted to announce the four municipalities that will partner with Tennis Canada and Rogers to deliver year-round tennis to their communities in 2023,” commented Michael Downey, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Canada. “The work of the local operators at each of the four facilities to get to this point cannot be underestimated. We would also like to thank Rogers for the crucial capital seed money they provide for these projects. We are extremely proud of the impact this mission-critical program has had so far, and we are sure the momentum that continues to be built will encourage other communities and facility operators to explore projects in their municipalities.”
“These year-round covered courts are helping to grow the sport of tennis in Canada and providing communities with opportunities to stay active,” said Bianca Andreescu, 2019 US Open champion and Team. “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.”
Specific information on the four courts can be found below:
THE COURTS AT SAN ROMANOWAY OPERATED BY PHILPOTT CHILDREN’S TENNIS
Municipality: Toronto, Ontario
Seed money invested by Rogers: $200,000
Year-round courts created by project: 2
Canadians served by project: 27,500
Additional court hours per week created by project: 200
STRATFORD WINTER TENNIS CLUB
Municipality: Stratford, Ontario
Seed money invested by Rogers: $200,000
Year-round courts created by project: 5
Canadians served by project: 34,500
Additional court hours per week created by project: 495
SAVILLE TENNIS CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
Municipality: Edmonton, Alberta
Seed money invested by Rogers: $200,000
Year-round courts created by project: 6
Canadians served by project: 1.54 million
Additional court hours per week created by project: 595
THUNDER BAY COMMUNITY TENNIS CENTRE
Municipality: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Seed money invested by Rogers: $200,000
Year-round courts created by project: 6
Canadians served by project: 112,500
Additional court hours per week created by project: 595