Tennis enthusiasts can now enjoy the sport all year-round without having to leave Chatham-Kent.
A grand opening was held on Friday in Chatham on Bear Line Road for a new tennis dome, which features four indoor tennis courts for community use.
The facility has been leased to and will be run by Tennis Clubs of Canada and another unnamed numbered company.
The project was made possible through several donations, as well as a $200,000 seed money donation from Tennis Canada and Rogers as part of their Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program.
Alison Anderson, Tennis Canada’s community projects manager, credited local resident Stephanie Chapados, who has been advocating for indoor tennis courts for the last several years, for making the project a reality.
“If it was not for her knocking on doors, making phone calls, giving this thing a pulse… it would not have happened. She kept this project alive for years,” said Anderson. “So much credit goes to her and her husband Mark for making this happen.”
Chatham-Kent Council approved the development of the tennis facility in August 2023 as part of a new regional park called the St. Clair College Community Park.
“This is something that Chatham-Kent has needed for a lot of years, ever since the Wheels closed down,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff. “The key to a great community is arts, culture and recreation… I want to have amenities in Chatham-Kent that you don’t have to go to Windsor or London for.”
Several other recreational activities are planned for the community park, including a playground, a cricket pitch, pickleball courts and basketball courts.
