Year-round tennis facility will get people into swing of things in Mississauga
Published March 22, 2024 at 10:05 am
Mississauga will soon have its first year-round tennis facility that’ll be open to all residents of the city and not only those with club memberships.
Mississauga Premier Racquet Club will be built at Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Mattamy Sports Park in the city’s west end. It will “operate as a year-round bubbled tennis centre” that also includes space for the relatively new and popular sport of pickleball, according to the City of Mississauga.
The new facility, for which the official groundbreaking will be held this coming Monday, is a project spearheaded by the city in partnership with Premier Racquet Clubs and Tennis Canada.
Specifically, it’s a public/private project that also partners the city with Tennis Canada’s Karl Hale, who for nearly two decades has served as tournament director for the National Bank Open tennis championship.
The city has not yet provided a completion date for the sports bubble, the cost of which will be revealed on Monday along with details on who’s picking up the tab for the facility.
In an online breakdown of the project, city officials said the new year-round tennis courts will provide Mississauga residents with access they’ve been sorely lacking.
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“All covered courts in Mississauga are located in private and membership-based facilities, posing community access challenges,” reads part of the project description.
City officials also said in the project breakdown Mississauga is currently the most underserved Ontario municipality, per capita, when it comes to year-round tennis access.
The city also noted Mississauga’s existing 150 or so outdoor public access and community courts are overcapacity and new facilities are required to meet the growing demand and “showcase Mississauga locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.”
According to the city, the Churchill Meadows site was selected for several reasons, including that it’s a growing community with a lack of indoor tennis and pickleball facilities.
Additionally, the location’s proximity to schools and other recreational facilities, proximity to a large residential area, public transit access and free parking were also cited as points in Churchill Meadows’ favour.
When it opens, Mississauga Premier Racquet Club will offer the following, according to the city:
- variety of affordable, competitive and recreational programs for all ages and abilities
- formats including lessons, leagues and tournaments estimated to serve some 800 to 1,000 participants (additionally, thousands of other participants through school programs, tournaments, clinics and special events)
- combination of membership dues, user and programming fees
- commitment to serving the community, schools, seniors and people with disabilities
- pickleball leagues and tournaments