N.L. government announces $1.4M to improve 2 tennis facilities in St. John's

As Newfoundland and Labrador looks ahead to hostingthe 2025 Canada Summer Games, the provincial government has announced it will spend $1.4 million to improve two tennis facilities in St. John's facilities built for the last time the city hosted the Games.

The money, announced Wednesday, will be spent on the installation ofa new air dome at the Green Belt Tennis Club, improvements to the seating arrangements and court upgrades. The Riverdale Tennis Club will also be given money to upgrade its court and lighting system.

"These facilities were built for the 1977 Canada Games," saidSteve Crocker, minister of tourism, culture, artsand recreation at the announcement Wednesday in St. John's. "The time has certainly come for these upgrades."

Melissa Pine, president of Tennis Newfoundland and Labrador, said the upgrades will mean more grassroots talent can be developed to compete at the highest level, and pointed to Bianca Andreescu's 2019 victories in the Canadian Open and the U.S. Open, the first Canadian to win a major tennis singles title.

"It all started in facilities like this," said Pine. "On International Women's Day, it is fitting that tennis is duly in the spotlight, as tennis has been leading the charge in closing the gap on gender equality."

The upgrades will also allow for compliance with accessibility codes for the Canada Summer Games, said Gord Breen, president of the St. John's Tennis Association, which willlead to greater fan participation during the Games.

"After this renovation, they will be bang up to date, as good as you will find anywhere else," said Breen.

Excitement from the next generation of athletes

Declan Walsh, 15, has been playing tennis competitively since he was eight years old and has played in the Atlantic circuits and continues to compete nationally. He's seen a lot of facilities around the country, he said Wednesday, and the improvements will bring St. John's in line.

"We have been waiting for this announcement for a long time," said Walsh.

The renovations will level the playing field for young players competing across the country, he said.

The improvements will allow playerslike Walsh to improve, said Breen, and will allow even more players to be trained in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Athletes have every opportunity to train, compete and succeed at the highest level against anyone across the country," he said.

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