“My country is not a country, it’s winter. These words can cause tennis lovers like me nightmares.
Posted at 10:00 a.m.
Unfortunately, in our part of the world, harsh winters render tennis courts unusable for 75% of the year. So it’s a good thing that the François-Godbout Tennis Club in Waterloo announced this spring the conversion of its outdoor tennis courts to indoor-outdoor facilities. These winter-designed courses have a premium “dome structure”, formerly known as a bubble. Tennis fans in several communities will now have access to the courts during the cold, snowy winter months.
Ultimately, a total of 20 indoor courts will be added by next winter to our national inventory of indoor courts, which will increase tennis attendance by approximately 14,900 hours.
Cheer ! But is it enough?
The 750 indoor courts that we currently have in Canada represent approximately one court for 50,000 citizens. Compared to countries like the UK, France and Belgium, our ratio is a miserable failure.
Without a substantial increase in the number of courts covered, the future of Canadian tennis looks more like an angst than a long-term athlete development plan.
To cover four to six tennis courts with a pneumatic dome, it costs between 1.2 and 1.5 million dollars. This investment is essential to ensure the growth of the sport in the country. Note that permanent brick-and-mortar installations cost at least $10 million.
The installation of additional domes will allow future tennis players to achieve the same success as Félix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Denis Shapovalov or Bianca Andreescu.
According to our most recent study, conducted in 2018, 51% of citizens would play more tennis if they had courts open year-round near their homes. This percentage climbs to 90% for those who play tennis four or more times a year.
Given the growing demand, the new indoor courts are a great return on investment in terms of public health and business opportunities. These facilities will be very busy places.
Over the past decade, tennis has seen a huge surge in interest and participation. Thanks to the international results of players like Eugenie Bouchard, Bianca Andreescu, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez, Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic, Canadians of all ages grab a racquet and head to the nearest courts.
Coaches across the country have seen an uptick in demand for summer schools, kids’ camps and tournaments. Most clubs now have waiting lists for entries in all age categories. The demand is literally overflowing in the country.
Many of our talented young people are forced to wait for the warm weather to realize their dreams, because they lack opportunities to do so all year round.
The installation of indoor courts will motivate young people, allow them to train and participate in competitions in our country. Ultimately, this will benefit them, our families, our communities and the future of our sport.
Fortunately, people, businesses and municipalities have understood the situation and are acting now. Rogers Communications and the Farley Group have decided to help make the cost of the installations affordable. Due in part to their efforts, domed structures are being erected at much lower costs than permanent structures.
Building on this momentum, Tennis Canada was able to secure $5.6 million in funding to create the Indoor Public Courts Program presented by Rogers. Municipalities and community partners can apply for up to $200,000 in seed funding for their bubble project.
Over the next seven years, we are determined to erect at least 160 new year-round courts across the country, which will allow supply to approach demand, even if only partially. For those who would like to see year-round tennis in their community, we’ve put together a resource to guide you.1 as well as to your municipality, throughout the process.
As we begin a very busy summer season, I invite all Quebecers to visit local tennis courts, examine the condition of the courts and notice the smiles of the people having fun there.
Together, let’s make tennis more accessible all year round.