Empire expands partnership with Tennis Canada, unveils Sobeys Stadium
2022 National Bank Open to be hosted from Sobeys Stadium in Toronto and IGA Stadium in Montreal
Stellarton, NS (April 28, 2022) – Empire and Tennis Canada are thrilled to announce an exciting expansion of their partnership, unveiling Sobeys Stadium in Toronto. Sobeys Stadium will host one of the top tennis tournaments in the world, the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, which is played annually in Toronto and Montreal. This August, the women’s event will take place at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, and the men’s event will take place at IGA Stadium in Montreal.
“We celebrate Tennis Canada for the tremendous work they do to advance tennis, making it more accessible across Canada. We are proud to be their partner and host both sites of the National Bank Open, in Toronto and Montreal,” said Erika DeHaas, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Sobeys Inc. “We are one of the biggest supporters of sport in Canada, and building on our success in Montreal with STADE IGA, we know these stadiums create a great opportunity for us to connect with fans, cheer on Canada’s champions and fuel the passion for the game.”
The Sobeys Stadium name is official today and the Sobeys brand will be highlighted throughout the entire stadium. Voilà by Sobeys is the official “in seat ordering experience” at Sobeys Stadium, delivering food to fans directly to their seats. Beyond tennis, Sobeys Stadium is a multipurpose sports and entertainment complex, spread over 15 acres and located in York, just north of Toronto.
“We are so thrilled to grow our partnership with Sobeys and the Tennis Canada family,” said Michael Downey, President and CEO, Tennis Canada. “Sobeys shares our values and commitment to making tennis more accessible for families across Canada and we will unveil exciting programming to support this in the coming weeks. Their support will help us accomplish the mission that we established for our facility in Toronto, which is to give youth access to quality facilities and encourage more young people to pick up a racquet and play.”
“I’m incredibly excited about the clinics that will benefit from Sobeys’ support. The impact that large investments like this have on our sport, especially in terms of greater access, is needed and invaluable. Creating a space for younger players to gain exposure and an appreciation for tennis will help continue to grow the sport across Canada for many years to come,” comments Daniel Nestor, 12-time Grand Slam Doubles Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist.
A natural extension of Sobeys commitment to the powerful connection between food, family and sport, this partnership with Tennis Canada will celebrate with Canada’s top tennis athletes and create local child and youth tennis programming. Sobeys will continue to collaborate on new grassroots programs to support the growth of tennis in Canada and create more opportunities for families to connect on the court.
ABOUT EMPIRE
Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire’s key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $29.2 billion in annual sales and $16.4 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 134,000 people.
ABOUT TENNIS CANADA
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier National Bank Open presented by Rogers WTA and ATP Tour events, four professional ATP and ITF sanctioned events and financially supports four other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Karen White-Boswell
Director, External Communications
Sobeys Inc.
karen.white-boswell@sobeys.com | 416-779-2319
Stefen Hakim
Manager, Communications
Tennis Canada
shakim@tenniscanada.com | 416-650-7942