With their snow-covered courts as a backdrop, ground was broken today on the Stratford Tennis Club’s first year round tennis facility. That mean racquets needn’t fall silent come October.

“This coming fall it will not be over. There’s going to be a bubble, and we’ll be able to play year-round,” said Stratford Tennis Club President Stephen Fischer.

North America’s first clear tennis bubble, with 93% transparency, will soon be constructed over the Stratford Tennis Club’s five clay courts through a partnership between Tennis Canada, Tennis Clubs of Canada, Rogers, and the Stratford Tennis Club.

“The domes themselves go right over top of the courts. When it’s time for spring and summer, it comes off, like it was never there in the first place,” said Tennis Clubs of Canada CEO Adam Seigel.

In an attempt to capitalize on the success of Canadian tennis stars like Felix Auger-Alissiame and Bianca Andreescu, Tennis Canada has embarked on an ambitious plan to build 30 indoor tennis facilities across the country by 2029.

Officials from Tennis Canada, Stratford Tennis Club, and Tennis Clubs of Canada break ground on North America’s first “clear” tennis dome in Stratford on March 1, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“We’re looking to open between three to six facilities every single year, with no end goal in sight,” Seigel said.

Stratford joins Thunder Bay, Edmonton, and Toronto, in adding October to April tennis to their communities later this year.

“Our Canadians are punching above their weight class, as far as tennis performance, and we just want to keep that going,” said Anita Comella of Tennis Canada.

Better yet, Stratford’s new tennis bubble, which will cost approximately $1 million to construct, comes at no cost to Stratford taxpayers.

“The idea is to have a cost neutral approach to the municipality, so that we can just provide services without having taxpayers to pay any more money for it,” added Seigel.

Construction of Stratford’s tennis bubble is expected to be done this fall, allowing Stratford’s Winter Tennis Club to start swinging October 1. You can learn more by visiting their website.