Today, The Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre (The ATC) held
a press conference to announce the launch of its new Everyone Can
Play program, aimed at promoting inclusivity and accessibility in
the sport of tennis. The Everyone Can Play program embodies the
Centre's commitment to ensuring that tennis is accessible to
individuals of all ages, backgrounds, skill level and abilities.
Through this initiative, the Centre will provide opportunities for
participation, development and fostering a more inclusive tennis
community in Calgary and beyond.
"We are proud to introduce the Everyone Can Play program, which
reflects our dedication to making tennis accessible to everyone,"
says Danny Da Costa, CEO, The Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis
Centre. "This initiative aligns with our mission of promoting
tennis as a sport for all, and we are excited to see the positive
impact it will have on our community."
To support the Everyone Can Play program, the Centre will host
an Everyone Can Play Gala, in partnership with the Working For More
Health Equity (WFMHE), formerly Women For Men’s Health (WFMH)
initiative on October 11, 2024, to raise important funds for the
program. This group is helping the ATC with equity and inclusion
for this program and are providing their event expertise to deliver
a one-of-a-kind gala.
This event will bring together supporters, donors and tennis
enthusiasts for an evening of celebration and philanthropy. A
silent and live auction will take place throughout the evening and
the funds raised will directly contribute to the expansion and
sustainability of the Everyone Can Play program, ensuring that more
individuals will get to experience the joy of tennis.
"We are very excited for this inaugural Everyone Can Play Gala
that represents a pivotal moment in our journey toward creating a
more inclusive and accessible tennis community,” says Dr. Shelley
Spaner, MD FRCPC, Partner, Mayfair Diagnostics and Founder, WFMHE.
“This will help the Alberta Tennis Centre ensure that everyone,
regardless of background or ability has the opportunity to
experience the transformative power of tennis."
In addition to these exciting announcements, the ATC is thrilled
to host the Billie Jean King Cup trophy on May 15, 2024, for the
public to view and take photos. The Billie Jean King Cup is the
world’s largest annual international team competition in women’s
sport, with over 120 nations competing in 2023. Team Canada won the
cup in 2023 and the trophy is now making its way across the country
giving Canadians the opportunity to get up close and personal to
the historic trophy.
"Having the Billie Jean King Cup onsite is a huge honour for our
tennis centre,” says Da Costa. “It's not just a trophy; it's a
symbol of women's resilience and excellence in tennis. We're
thrilled to share this historic piece of tennis history with our
community, inspiring the next generation of players and celebrating
the remarkable achievements of female athletes."
Behind the scenes, the ATC is gearing up to host the 2024
Calgary National Bank Challenger, scheduled to take place from
October 13-20, 2024. Sanctioned by the ATP World Tour and the
International Tennis Federation, this will be the fifth men’s
edition and third women’s edition of the popular tournament.
This tournament has quickly emerged as one of
the best international tennis tournaments held in Canada. The event
is the largest combined men’s & women’s indoor event in Canada
and features many of the best up-and-coming and established male
and female players in the world. The 2023 Challenger tournament was
the recipient of the Canadian Sport Tourism Sponsorship Initiative
award. This award recognizes Canada’s top national and
international events. This annual tournament is one of the best
challenger events in the world with over 13,000 spectators
over the course of the week-long tournament. Past alumni of the
event include, current World #7 player Casper Ruud of Norway,
Canadian Tennis Star Vasek Pospisil, Former Wimbledon Singles
Finalist and top 12 player Sabine Lisicki of Germany, and former
World #5 Tommy Robredo of Spain.
“We are thrilled to once again host the Calgary
National Bank Challenger this October. Our 2023 event was a
week-long sold-out tournament, which attracted some of the best
emerging tennis talent throughout the globe,” says Da Costa. “We
look forward to delivering another world-class event that showcases
our wonderful sport and incredible city.”
Don't miss your chance to support the Everyone Can Play program,
view the Billie Jean King Cup trophy, and witness world-class
tennis action at the Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre.
For more information about the Everyone Can Play program, visit
https://albertatenniscentre.ca/.
For more information about the Billie Jean King Cup, visit
https://www.billiejeankingcup.com/en/bjkc-home.
For more information about the Calgary National Bank Challenger,
visit www.calgary.nationalbankchallenger.com.
ABOUT THE OSTEN & VICTOR ALBERTA TENNIS
CENTRE: Founded in 2013 and opened in 2016, the Osten
& Victor Alberta Tennis Centre is a staple of the Acadia and
Calgary community. Recognized as one of Canada’s premier tennis
facilities, the Centre was championed by local funders with the
support of Tennis Canada. The 13-court, state-of-the-art, family
friendly tennis facility is in the heart of Acadia (SE Calgary) and
covers over 4.22 acres. The non-profit Centre has quickly
established itself as the benchmark for facility design and
operation in Canada. The Centre has serviced over 250,000 Albertans
since opening its opening and is built to international competition
standards. It is a highly sought-after tournament destination and
hosts multiple international events each year, including the
Calgary National Bank Challenger ATP and ITF event.
For more information visit www.albertatenniscentre.ca.
ABOUT THE CALGARY NATIONAL BANK
CHALLENGER: The Calgary National Bank Challenger is
the largest combined men's & women's indoor tennis tournament
in Canada. The Calgary National Bank Challenger has quickly emerged
as one of the best ATP Challenger events in the world and one of
Alberta's premier sporting events. In 2022, the Challenger hosted
our inaugural International Tennis Federation (ITF) Women's Pro
Circuit $60K Event featuring many of the best up-and-coming and
established female players in the world. In 2023, the Calgary
National Bank Challenger became the first International Tennis
Federation W60 event in Canada to offer paid hospitality to female
players.
Past participants of the Calgary National Bank Challenger event
include Former World #2 and 3x Grand Slam Singles Finalist Casper
Ruud of Norway; Former World #12 and 2013 Wimbledon Singles
Finalist and 2023 Calgary National Bank Challenger Singles
Champion, Sabine Lisicki of Germany; Canadian tennis star and
former Wimbledon Doubles Champion and World #25, Vasek Pospisil;
Former World #14 and 2018 Calgary National Bank Challenger Champion
Ivo Karlovic; Other star players who have participated include:
Maxime Cressey, Arthur Rinderknech, Joao Sousa, Benoit Paire, Tommy
Robredo, and Ursuzla Radwanska.
For more
information: www.calgary.nationalbankchallenger.com
ABOUT THE WORKING FOR MORE HEALTH EQUITY
INITIATIVE In 2016, the Working For More Health Equity
Initiative, formerly Women for Men’s Health initiative, held its
first fundraising event – raising money to help support research
and awareness in areas impacting men’s health. Since then the group
has raised over 500 thousand dollars through fundraising
initiatives, and has secured more than one million donor dollars.
With some of these funds a men’s health clinic was opened across
the hall from the Prostate Cancer Centre in June 2018.
Dr. Spaner has been raising awareness about men’s health through
speaking engagements and fundraising initiatives, and was a
recipient of the 2019 Pathfinder’s Award from PROSTAID Calgary for
demonstrating leadership and contributing to significant
advancements in prostate cancer research and treatment. PROSTAID
Calgary is a support network that provides peer-to-peer support for
men and their families on their journey with prostate cancer.
ABOUT NATIONAL BANK CHALLENGER TOURNAMENTSThe
Calgary National Bank Challenger is among several tournaments on
the Challenger circuit sponsored by National Bank in Canada. Aiming
to support the development of the international elite, the
professional tournaments provide Canadian athletes with their first
experiences on the Tours and the opportunity to earn valuable
points to move up in the world rankings. Over the years, the
National Bank Challenger tournaments have served as a springboard
for players including Canadian stars Félix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah
Annie Fernandez, Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu, as well as
Casper Ruud, Maxime Cressy and John Isner of the US, Daniel Evans
of the UK, Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Ons
Jabeur of Tunisia.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca HurlBrookline Public
Relations, Inc. rhurl@brooklinepr.com