[ST. JOHN’S, NL] June 5, 2025 – Tennis Canada today unveiled the Rogers Tennis Dome at Green Belt Tennis Club, the latest completed project under the Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers. Thanks to the construction of an air-supported dome over the existing seven courts, the 240,000 residents of St. John’s, NL, and more in the surrounding communities will have access to tennis 12 months a year. In addition, the facility will be the official tennis venue for the 2025 Canada Games. This project with Riverdale Tennis Club and Green Belt Tennis Club represents a significant joint venture with St. John’s Tennis Association and Tennis Newfoundland and Labrador. The seven newly revitalized year-round courts at Green Belt Tennis Club will significantly benefit St. John’s thriving tennis community by providing an additional 735 hours of court time per week during the winter months. The facility will also boost grassroots tennis development in the region and will be the official provincial training centre for Newfoundland and Labrador’s high-performance athletes. Additional funding for this project was provided by the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the city of St. John’s, Tennis Canada, and the 2025 Canada Games.
Along with St. John’s, projects in Edmonton, AB, and Kelowna, BC, were announced this year, with a fourth to be named at a later date. By the end of 2025, the number of completed and ongoing year-round court projects created through the Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program will be more than halfway to the goal of building 160 tennis courts at 30 facilities across Canada by 2029.
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“I’d like to congratulate Tennis Newfoundland and Labrador and St. John’s Tennis Association on today’s impressive unveiling,” said Eva Havaris, Senior Vice President, Tennis Development and Partnerships. “Seeing the outpouring of community support during every opening of a year-round facility under this program reaffirms our commitment to making tennis accessible to all Canadians. We would like to thank Rogers for their unwavering partnership and for providing the capital seed money to make projects like this possible. In addition to Tennis Canada’s capital contribution, our thanks also extend to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the City of St. John’s, and the 2025 Canada Games, for their support in making this a reality.”
“This significant investment to equip the Green Belt Tennis Club with a dome that allows for year-round play will enrich the lives of tennis players in St. John’s and will have a lasting impact on the growing Newfoundland and Labrador tennis community. As we prepare to host tennis events during the 2025 Canada Games, we look forward to welcoming Canada’s athletes to our state-of-the-art facility,” said Jess Norris, Executive Director, Tennis Newfoundland and Labrador and General Manager, St. John’s Tennis Association.
“The Rogers Tennis Dome at the Green Belt Tennis Club marks a new era for the development of tennis in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said the Honourable Fred Hutton, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. “Our government is proud to have invested over $1.6 million in this world-class facility, which will serve as a year-round hub for athletes, families, and future champions alike. As we celebrate the Year of Sport and prepare to host the 2025 Canada Games, this dome is a shining example of what’s possible through strong partnerships and a shared commitment to supporting the health and well-being of residents in our province.”
“St. John’s is proud to be home to the province’s only tennis dome, which has now been upgraded to better serve our community,” said Danny Breen, Mayor of the City of St. John’s. “This revitalized facility supports year-round play, promotes active living, and helps grow the sport of tennis for residents of all ages. Hosting the 2025 Canada Games has brought many incredible legacy infrastructure projects to our city, and this is an exciting example of that. A sincere thank you to all the partners who made this possible.”
“A major priority of hosting a Canada Games is creating a lasting legacy,” said Kim Keating and Karl Smith, Co-Chairs, 2025 Canada Games Host Society Board of Directors. “We’re proud to support this project, not only to provide an exceptional experience for the athletes competing this August, but to help grow the game and benefit the local tennis community for years to come.”
About the Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers
With the aim of building 160 new year-round courts at up to 30 facilities across Canada by 2029, the $5.6 million Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program, jointly funded by Tennis Canada and Rogers, will make year-round tennis a reality for Canadians across the country, increasing accessibility to the sport and helping to foster increased participation among youth. The program was initiated to address the fact that, at the time of its inception, Canada fell behind other leading tennis nations in providing access to the sport 12 months a year, with only 750 publicly accessible covered courts across the country, representing only one year-round court for every 50,000 people. For each project, Tennis Canada and Rogers provide up to $200,000 in seed money.
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, 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 and Vancouver. 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 website at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
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