Photo: Peter Power

The municipalities of Winnipeg, MB, Mississauga, ON, as well as Drummondville and Sherbrooke, QC, selected to receive funding to revitalize public tennis courts

The National Bank Play Your Court Program continues to grow, with plans to provide four more municipalities with funding to revitalize public tennis courts in their area over the coming months, Tennis Canada announced Monday.

The selected recipients are Garden City Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Garnetwood Park in Mississauga, Ontario, Frank-Gougeon Park in Drummondville, Quebec, and the Rock Forest Recreation Centre in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The funding, supplied by National Bank, will be used to revamp the existing facilities, offering residents a better place to enjoy the sport of tennis.

Tennis participation has risen steadily in recent years. Nearly 5 million Canadians played in 2023, with a notable growth among youth, increasing by 11 per cent in participation between 2022 and 2023. This growing interest is a welcome sign for the sport, but it also means that there is a greater need for courts on which to play and train. The Play Your Court Program is key to meeting the ever-increasing demand for well-maintained tennis facilities across Canada.

Quotes

“We are excited to support the municipalities of Winnipeg, Mississauga, Drummondville, and Sherbrooke in revitalizing their community tennis courts and offering their constituents a quality playing area to enjoy the sport we all love,” said Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Canada. “With the growing demand for tennis in Canada, it’s essential that initiatives like the National Bank Play Your Court Program, whose main objective is to make tennis more accessible to all, can continue to expand and provide assistance to municipalities across the country.”

“It’s already been two years since the launch of the program and I’m happy to see that our impact continues to grow across the country,” said Lucie Blanchet, Executive Vice-President, Personal Banking and Client Experience at National Bank of Canada. “Tennis is a fantastic sport. Unifying and stimulating, it creates healthy and united communities, while encouraging everyone to move. At National Bank, wellness and balance are at the heart of our values, which is why we invest in our communities across Canada to make tennis even more accessible. Residents of Winnipeg, Mississauga, Drummondville and Sherbrooke, it’s your turn to play!”

Highlights

• Funded by National Bank and launched in 2022, the initiative makes available $3 million that will be directed to over 100 courts across the country by 2030.

• The program not only brings much-needed improvements to these facilities but will hopefully encourage more players to pick up a racquet and enjoy the benefits of the sport.

• Once the 2024 projects are completed, the program will have delivered seven projects for a total of 34 revitalized courts since its launch in 2022. The program now has projects in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.

Photo: Peter Power

More on the courts at Garden City Park
• Municipality: Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Revitalized courts: 6

More on the courts at Garnetwood Park
• Municipality: Mississauga, Ontario
• Revitalized courts: 4

More on the courts at Frank-Gougeon Park
• Municipality: Drummondville, Quebec
• Revitalized courts: 3

More on the courts at Rock Forest Recreation Centre
• Municipality: Sherbrooke, Quebec
• Revitalized courts: 8

If you are interested in getting more information about the program and to see if your outdoor courts are eligible, please click here.

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