[MONTREAL, QC] October 28, 2024 – 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 20231. 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.
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.
About National Bank
With $442 billion in assets as at April 30, 2024, National Bank is one of Canada’s six systemically important banks. National Bank has approximately 30,000 employees in knowledge-intensive positions and operates through three business segments in Canada: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and Financial Markets. A fourth segment, U.S. Specialty Finance and International, complements the growth of its domestic operations. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow National Bank’s activities at nbc.ca or via social media.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth, development and promotion of tennis in Canada and a vision to be 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, it financially supports 15 other professional tournaments in Canada, as well as operating more than 60 events nationally across junior, wheelchair, university and Masters tennis categories. 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 masters tennis national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our website at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
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Media Contact:
Patrick Steski
Coordinator, Communications
psteski@tenniscanada.com
+1 (613) 818-623