Jasper Place courts to become year-round tennis, pickleball facility

A concept image of the IQ Tennis and Pickleball Centre. (Source: Alberta government)

The Jasper Place tennis courts will be turned into a year-round tennis and pickleball facility.

Construction – including that of an air-supported dome – will start in the spring and is expected to be finished by the end of 2025, officials announced on Thursday.

In total, the future IQ Tennis and Pickleball Centre will feature six tennis courts and seven pickleball courts, as well as a new clubhouse.

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The provincial government is matching fundraising through other grants and donations for the project up to $1.5 million through its Active Communities Initiative.

"This is a great example of this type of year-round infrastructure that we need across a wide range of sports in this city," Reed Clarke, CEO of Sport Edmonton, said during a news conference on Thursday. "Enhancing the existing infrastructure with a dome or another semi-permanent structure also just makes economic sense and it's something that can be modeled and replicated, if proven successful, over and over again."

"The IQ Tennis and Pickleball Centre will be much more than just a new facility. It will serve as a hub of inclusivity, engagement, and it will enrich the life of people of many ages and abilities," added the centre's director, Ivan Quintero.

Currently, Jasper Place hosts six tennis courts available to be booked and one drop-in tennis court. It is open roughly five months of the year, weather permitting.

The facility is the one of 12 projects across the province announced on Thursday as recipients of the first round of funding through the Active Communities Initiative. In total, $4.2 million will be doled out.