Loss of Charlottetown's Victoria Park tennis courts taking a toll on P.E.I. players

The loss of a number of tennis courts at Charlottetown’s Victoria Park is taking a toll on players – and opportunities to grow the sport locally.

A number of the courts have formed dips that allow puddles to form that can take 24 to 48 hours to dry. The fence around the courts is also high enough that balls can easily roll under and be lost during games.

Jordan MacGregor, executive and technical director of Tennis P.E.I., said there are areas of the courts that could use “a little bit more attention” and in their current state they can create problems for players.

“Even if you're squeegeeing, it takes significant effort to get all the runoff going. So that's been a pretty significant detriment to people trying to get on court,” MacGregor said.

Water pooling on the courts creates a dangerous scenario for players, who are unable to run without risk of falls, and the rough ground makes it challenging to have a competitive game. The pooling also damages the lifespan of the court, MacGregor said.

MacGregor said one of the courts has a significant crack in its surface, and two others are also in need of repairs.

The loss of a viable playing area has hurt the Island's sport community, which MacGregor described as being “extremely patient.” He said tournaments have been forced out of the province, including last summer’s Junior Atlantic Championships, which were played in Nova Scotia and would have brought 120 players and their families to the Island.

Interest in the sport also continues to grow and having courts shut down forces the organization to search for new places to play. The city has been at work to “push us in the right direction,” MacGregor said, providing funding to run the event off-Island, but the city is losing money by not bringing players and families to events here. 

“We keep planning for certain programs, certain events, and then we have to change everything simply because things aren't prepared or things aren't ready, which has been a bit tough on us,” he said. 

“For our players and community, we've even had to move our main hub tournaments out of town and into other municipalities. The programs that we do run, we can't host as many players that want to play,” he said.

“So that means there's bigger wait lists, bigger frustrations from players that are passionate and wanting to get going on court.”

MacGregor said the condition of the courts has been frustrating for the tennis community and he hopes Tennis P.E.I. can be involved in the city's plans to repair the courts.

“At this point, we're at the mercy of waiting for the company to fix it,” he said.

In a statement, the City of Charlottetown recognized the current state of the tennis courts. Documents from city council noted the courts need a precise one per cent grade without low spots to ensure proper drainage.