A sign in a farm field is the only indication a $2-million domed tennis facility will be built in Chatham-Kent, but it is a dream come true for Stephanie and Mark Chapados.
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The Chatham couple is credited as the driving force behind bringing the facility to the community. On Thursday they witnessed the sod-turning at the site of where the new facility will be located within the eight-hectare (20-acre) Bear Line Park project near St. Clair College on the west edge of Chatham.
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“It’s a dream that has come true,” said Stephanie Chapados. “You dream about it, pray about it and you just hope everything works out.”
However, many partners were needed to make the project a reality, including Tennis Canada and Rogers, who have provided a $200,000 grant, Chatham-Kent, which also has committed $200,000, and Tennis Clubs of Canada, which will build and operate the facility and cover the bulk of the cost.
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Mark Chapados, a Tennis Clubs of Canada coach, believes a year-round tennis facility will greatly benefit local tennis players.
He said when outdoor tennis programs shut down at the end of summer, it limits players’ development.
“Once we get the racquets in their hands. . . they’re able to do something all-year-around, it will make a huge difference,” he said.
Alison Anderson, Tennis Canada’s community projects manager, said the dome is set to be up and running by year’s end. It will feature four new tennis courts in an air-inflated dome that will stay up year-round.
In 2018, Anderson said Tennis Canada took a “deep dive” into the participation data and the factors impacting the health of tennis.
“One of these obvious and glaring facts was facilities and the lack of facilities in Canada,” she said.
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The organization learned Canadian municipalities own most of the outdoor tennis courts – about 7,500 – and less than 10 per cent were covered for play.
To ensure tennis would continue to grow in Canada, “we knew that we had to invest in this space,” Anderson said.
She added the organization approached its partners at Rogers and they provided the “essential funds that would help make projects like this a reality.”
Anderson called the Chapadoses “the ultimate community champions who had this crazy idea of bringing a tennis facility to Chatham-Kent.
“I have never met anyone so determined, so relentless, so unwavering and I hope that you both know how important you have been in bringing us all here today,” she added.
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Tennis Clubs of Canada chief executive Adam Seigel said there are many benefits to providing year-round tennis.
He said the facility will provide about 5,000 hours of programming and regular court access for area residents.
“It’s going to make a huge difference in terms of recreation here,” Seigel said.
Stephanie Chapados said the courts will include lines for pickleball, adding the goal is to have other sports, such as badminton and indoor cricket, played at the facility.
“We’re really hoping other organizations reach out,” she said. “We want this to be fully accessible to everyone.”
She added there are also plans for a lounge area.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said, “This is huge for Chatham-Kent.”
The tennis dome marks the beginning Bear Line Park project that will include walking paths, a playground, a sports field and much more, he added.
Canniff said the dome will “add another reason to move and to invest in Chatham-Kent.”
He added it will provide another great venue for residents to have fun, learn new skills and live a more healthy and active lifestyle.
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