By Mike Bennett, President of Tennis Alberta
I’m excited to share our 2025 Mid-Year Update. As mentioned in our ongoing communications, our commitment to transparency, growth, and strong community partnerships continues to guide every decision we make at Tennis Alberta.
We’ve made significant progress in the first half of the year across several key areas, and I’d like to highlight some achievements and what’s ahead for the rest of 2025.
Increased Tennis Alberta Presence and Visibility
The Tennis Alberta team, under the leadership of Colin Latchford, has made significant strides in increasing our presence throughout the province.
We recently welcomed Heather Powers, our new Community Programs Coordinator, who has hit the ground running by:
- Developing new partnerships with schools and community organizations to bring
introductory tennis to underserved areas. - Coordinating logistics and outreach for the Tennis Month in Canada and Every Kid Can
Play programs.
Adrian Court, Manager of Player Development and Competition, has been working closely with clubs to:
- Support U10/U12 player development, including organizing and delivering monthly
provincial regroupings. - Enhance tournament structures and create clear player pathways.
We also re-formed our Junior Development Committee to align provincial competitive structure more closely with the needs of Alberta’s players and coaches. While we recognize that changes in selection policies can be contentious, we value the constructive feedback from coaches and parents—particularly the 40+ who attended our Junior Nationals Townhall earlier this year.
The Tennis Alberta Roadshow, coordinated by Mary Potter, was launched with successful events at CTC, Greenfield, Capilano, and Red Deer. More stops are planned throughout the province this summer. Your feedback at these events helps us grow and evolve.
Growth in Program Delivery
Program delivery is one of our strategic pillars. We’ve seen great momentum, particularly in May, with the launch of several exciting initiatives, which have collectively engaged over 1,200 participants so far this year:
- Tennis for Schools – Five schools took part with strong student engagement.
- Afterschool Learn & Play – Active sessions underway at Greenfield Tennis Club.
- Tennis Alberta Roadshow – Four successful events completed, with several more coming before the end of the month.
- Rogers First Set Rookie Tour – Re-launched with renewed focus on fun, entry-level competition.
- Every Kid Can Play – A partnership with Calgary Tennis Society at Mega Courts to provide access for underserved youth.
- Coaching & Officiating Development – Three Tennis Instructor Courses (including a first-ever all-female course), as well as one Officiating Clinic, have helped build our provincial capacity.
Governance and Safe Sport
To ensure we’re aligned with best practices and legal standards, Tennis Alberta retained Steve Indig of Sport Law, a nationally recognized expert in sport governance, to support our by-law modernization. His team guided us through a comprehensive review that included:
- Clarifying board, ocer, and member roles and responsibilities.
- Updating voting procedures to ensure fairness and accessibility.
- Improving overall clarity of governing documentation.
On Safe Sport, we are actively partnering with Alberta Sport Leadership Association (ASLA) to join and implement a province-wide Safe Sport platform. This system will:
- Allow confidential reporting of misconduct and maltreatment.
- Provide clear educational resources for coaches, players, and clubs.
- Ensure a consistent and preventative approach across all sports in Alberta.
Look for townhalls and training sessions in the coming months – your participation will be key to a successful rollout.
Stronger Partnerships
We continue to prioritize meaningful partnerships to advance tennis in Alberta.
- Our collaboration with OV Tennis Centre has resulted in increased funding that has been reinvested in community programming, clinics, and tournaments.
- Our deepening relationship with Tennis Canada has allowed us to bring in new programs in Women in Sport, School Tennis, and more. We’re actively exploring further national collaborations.
- Our strong partnership with our provincial multi-sport agency has resulted in new funding towards Wheelchair Tennis and Underserved Youth participants.
Also on the provincial level, we’re thrilled to share that Tennis will be included in the Alberta Games in 2026 for the first time in over 20 years! Special thanks to Patrick Thomas for his leadership in making this a reality.
Strategic Plan
We have partnered with The Greater to help us create a robust 5-Year Strategic Plan for Tennis Alberta. This initiative will include:
- Extensive consultation with clubs, coaches, athletes, and parents.
- Focus areas such as grassroots growth, competitive structure, infrastructure investment, and accessibility.
- A summer-long engagement process, with Tennis Alberta board members and staff attending tournaments and events to collect feedback directly from the community.
We want this plan to reflect your priorities – so please don’t hesitate to engage with us when you see us this summer!
In Closing
None of this progress would be possible without the tireless work of our clubs, volunteers, and community leaders. Thank you for your passion, time, and belief in the power of tennis to connect and uplift.
I’m confident that the rest of 2025 will continue to build momentum toward a stronger, more unified tennis community in Alberta.
Have a great summer, and stay hydrated!
Mike Bennett
President, Tennis Alberta
