A new facility is coming to Kelowna that tennis players are sure to 'love'.
On Wednesday, June 11, the City of Kelowna, along with Tennis Clubs of Canada (TCC), Tennis Canada, and Tennis B.C. announced a new first-of-its-kind, year-round tennis facility is coming to Kelowna's Mission Recreation Park.
The $2.9 million facility called the Rogers Tennis Dome at Mission Recreation Park will have five courts, bringing 525 more hours of court time per week during the winter months. The dome aspect of the space is retractable, meaning it can also come down during the summer months.
"This project represented our match point," said City Manager Doug Gilchrist. "Where some investments, strong partnerships, and community vision really come together to serve up something truly special."
Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas called the project a "major step forward for sport, community, and year-round recreation," and confirmed the city is paying $1 million of the total amount.
The new facility is part of Rogers' Year Round Community Tennis Courts program which started in 2022. Since its inception, the program has committed to four new facilities a year, with this being the first year-round tennis facility in B.C.
When the facility is covered with the removable dome during the winter season (Oct. 1- April 30), TCC will run a diverse range of high-quality club and instructional programs for paying members and non-members. When the dome is not in place during the summer season (May 1- Sept. 30), the courts will be available for free public use.
"I'm feeling ecstatic," said Tennis Canada senior director of facilities development Anita Comella. "We've been having conversations with B.C. about year-round tennis for as long as I've been at Tennis Canada and that's nine years, so to see this first one land, it's an amazing day and I truly believe this is only just the beginning."
She added there is potential for tournaments to be held in Kelowna in the future as well.
“Kelowna loves its tennis and we are excited to be partnering with the City of Kelowna to bring this year-round facility to the community,” said Tennis Clubs of Canada CEO Adam Seigel. “We look forward to players of all ages and abilities discovering this amazing sport as we work towards our goal of creating players for life.”
Dyas added in regards to the Building a Stronger Kelowna initiative, he's been asked about a tennis facility the most. With this new space, there will also be tennis lessons and summer camps available.
Additionally, he added he recently got a letter from a nine-year-old girl in town asking why there were not more indoor tennis courts. The day before the announcement, he responded to the girl, telling her about the new facility and inviting her to the announcement, however, she did not attend.
"Just the efficiency of the City of Kelowna," Dyas said with a laugh to a crowd of around 75 people.
The facility is anticipated to open November 2025.
