Huge dome will house 6 tennis and pickleball courts in Mississauga

A new six-court domed tennis and pickleball facility that’ll offer year-round play will open later this year in Mississauga’s west end.

City of Mississauga officials broke ground on Monday for the $4.3-million Mississauga Premier Racquet Club, which will be located at Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Mattamy Sports Park.

When it opens in late 2024, it’ll be the first such facility available to all residents of the city and not only those with club memberships.

It will “operate as a year-round bubbled tennis centre” that also includes space for the relatively new and popular sport of pickleball, according to city officials.

The new facility is a project spearheaded by the city in partnership with Premier Racquet Clubs and Tennis Canada.

Specifically, it’s a public/private project that also partners the city with Tennis Canada’s Karl Hale, who for nearly two decades has served as tournament director for the National Bank Open tennis championship.

Tennis Canada and Rogers Communications have provided $200,000 in funding for the racquet sports centre as part of the Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program.

Through that $5.6-million program, some 160 new year-round courts at as many as 30 facilities across Canada will be built by 2029. The initiative is jointly funded by Tennis Canada and Rogers.

Mississauga officials say the new air-supported domed facility will:

• create an additional 400 hours of court time per week during winter
• serve the needs of recreational and competitive players in the community
• provide opportunities to host provincial, national and international events
• include drop-in and structured play, lessons and camp programming for children and youth

In an online breakdown of the project, city officials said the new year-round tennis/pickleball courts will provide Mississauga residents with access they’ve been sorely lacking.

“All covered courts in Mississauga are located in private and membership-based facilities, posing community access challenges,” reads part of the project description.

City officials also said in the project breakdown Mississauga is currently the most underserved Ontario municipality, per capita, when it comes to year-round tennis access.

The city also noted Mississauga’s existing 150 or so outdoor public access and community courts are overcapacity and new facilities are required to meet the growing demand and “showcase Mississauga locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.”

Senior city staff said the new facility addresses a big need.

“As part of the city’s commitment to keeping our community active by providing them with the sports amenities they need, this facility will serve the needs of both recreational and competitive players, and also provide opportunities for hosting provincial, national and international sporting events in Mississauga,” said Jodi Robillos, the city’s commissioner of community services.

Mississauga Ward 10 Coun. Sue McFadden, in whose ward the facility is being built, said she and many of her constituents can’t wait until the dome opens.

“This new facility is a testament to our commitment to promoting active, healthy lifestyles and will attract many residents year-round, she said.