National Bank Play Your Court Program

From development programs to coach support to tournament sponsorships, National Bank believes in the value of tennis for promoting physical, mental, and social well-being in our communities.

Partners since 2005, National Bank and Tennis Canada began a new era in their partnership in February 2021 with a new 10-year agreement. Elements of this new partnership, considered the largest in the history of the sport in Canada, includes:

• multifaceted sponsorships of the National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal
• National Bank Challenger Tour and regional events
• support of provincial tennis associations
• support of the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA)
• a long-term gender equity strategy (incl. Girls. Set. Match)

Included in this new era is the National Bank Play Your Court Program, which aims to revitalize more than 100 courts by 2030. 

Municipalities own the largest inventory of outdoor court infrastructure across the country, but budget pressures often impact their ability to keep all their outdoor courts at the quality they would like. It is for this reason that municipalities looking to revitalize publicly accessible tennis courts are the intended focus of this grant program. 

In some instances, third-party operators leasing publicly accessible outdoor courts are also welcome to apply, so long as the courts are kept freely accessible to the public and the municipality provides approval for application submission. 

View the program guidelines for more information on eligibility.

Eligible projects will consist of municipally owned outdoor courts that are accessible to the public at no cost. 

Ideal projects will consist of 4 or more courts in need of refurbishment. Applications for projects with less than 4 existing courts but with space to build additional courts are also eligible. Applications for projects that do not meet either criteria will still be accepted but may not be given priority. 

View the program guidelines for more information on project requirements.

As Tennis and Pickleball participation grow amongst Canadians, Tennis Canada recognizes that both sports have enthusiastic supporters and has put forth a Statement of Guidance for the development, expansion, and renovation of shared-sport public facilities. We recommend referring to this guideline when crafting your application. 

Funding will support capital costs of revitalizing existing outdoor community courts in need of repair. The applicant must demonstrate a level of investment as well as the impact that this project will have on the community. 

View the program guidelines for more information on funding eligibility.

The selection process is managed by Tennis Canada, who will review the applications using criteria and tools that are objective, diverse, and inclusive. Selected projects can receive up to $100,000 in funding. 

Project details that should be included in your application can be found in Appendix D of the program guidelines. Once complete, applications can be submitted directly to playyourcourt@tenniscanada.com as a PDF or Word document. 

However, we strongly suggest you discuss your project with Tennis Canada prior to applying. As each project is unique, each application will differ in content and format. Please reach out to playyourcourt@tenniscanada.com to discuss your project before submitting a final application.