Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Center launches Everyone Can.

CALGARY, Alberta, May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Center (The ATC) held a press conference to announce the launch of its new Everyone Can Play program, aimed at promoting inclusivity and To promote accessibility in tennis. The Everyone Can Play program embodies the Center's commitment to ensuring that tennis is accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds, skill levels and abilities. Through this initiative, the Center provides opportunities to participate, develop and promote a more inclusive tennis community in Calgary and beyond.

“We are proud to introduce the Everyone Can Play program, which reflects our commitment to making tennis accessible to everyone,” says Danny Da Costa, CEO of Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre. “This initiative aligns with our mission to promote tennis as a sport for all, and we are excited about the positive impact it will have on our community.”

In support of the Everyone Can Play program, the Center will host an Everyone Can Play Gala on October 11, 2024 in collaboration with the Working For More Health Equity Initiative (WFMHE), formerly Women For Men's Health (WFMH). “to raise important donations for the program. This group supports the ATC in the equity and inclusion of this program and provides their event expertise to create a unique gala.

This event brings together supporters, donors and tennis enthusiasts for an evening of celebration and charity. A silent and live auction will take place throughout the evening and funds raised will directly contribute to the expansion and sustainability of the Everyone Can Play program, ensuring more people can experience the joy of tennis.

“We are thrilled about this first Anyone Can Play Gala, which marks a pivotal moment in our journey to create a more inclusive and accessible tennis community,” said Dr. Shelley Spaner, MD FRCPC, Partner, Mayfair Diagnostics and Founder of WFMHE. “ This will help the Alberta Tennis Center ensure that everyone, regardless of background or ability, has the opportunity to experience the transformative power of tennis.”

In addition to these exciting announcements, the ATC is excited to host the Billie Jean King Cup Trophy on May 15, 2024 for the public to view and photograph. The Billie Jean King Cup is the world's largest annual international team competition in women's sports, with over 120 nations participating in 2023. Team Canada won the Cup in 2023 and the trophy now travels around the country, giving Canadians the opportunity to get up close and personal with the historic trophy.

“Hosting the Billie Jean King Cup locally is a great honor for our tennis center,” says Da Costa. “It’s not just a trophy; it is a symbol of the resilience and excellence of women in tennis. We are excited to share this historic piece. We want to make tennis history with our community, inspire the next generation of players and celebrate the remarkable achievements of female athletes.”

Behind the scenes, the ATC is preparing to host the Calgary National Bank Challenger 2024, scheduled to take place October 13-20, 2024. With approval from the ATP World Tour and the International Tennis Federation, this will be the fifth men's edition and third women's edition of the popular tournament.

This tournament has quickly become one of the top international tennis tournaments in Canada. The event is the largest combined men's and women's indoor event in Canada and features many of the best emerging and established male and female players in the world. The 2023 Challenger tournament was awarded the Canadian Sport Tourism Sponsorship Initiative award. This award recognizes Canada's best national and international events. This annual tournament is one of the best Challenger events in the world with over 13,000 spectators during the week-long tournament. Past graduates of the event include current world number 7 player Casper Ruud of Norway, Canadian tennis star Vasek Pospisil, former Wimbledon singles finalist and top 12 player Sabine Lisicki of Germany and former world number 5. Tommy Robredo from Spain.

“We are thrilled to host the Calgary National Bank Challenger again this October. Our 2023 event was a week-long sell-out tournament that attracted some of the best emerging tennis talent from around the world,” says Da Costa. “We look forward to hosting another world-class event showcasing our wonderful sport and our incredible city.”

Don't miss your chance to support the Everyone Can Play program, view the Billie Jean King Cup trophy and experience world-class tennis action at the East & Victor Alberta Tennis Centre.

For more information about the Everyone Can Play program, visit

For more information about the Billie Jean King Cup, visit

For more information about the Calgary National Bank Challenger, visit www.calgary.nationalbankchallenger.com.

ABOUT THE EAST & VICTOR ALBERTA TENNIS CENTER:
Founded in 2013 and opened in 2016, the Osten & Victor Alberta Tennis Center is an integral part of the Acadia and Calgary communities. The center is considered one of the best tennis facilities in Canada and was funded by local donors with support from Tennis Canada. Located in the heart of Acadia (SE Calgary), the state-of-the-art, 13-court, family-friendly tennis facility spans over 10 acres. The non-profit center has quickly established itself as a benchmark for facility design and operation in Canada. The center has served over 250,000 Albertans since its opening and is built to international competitive standards. It is a highly sought after tournament location and hosts several international events each year including the Calgary National Bank Challenger ATP and ITF event.

For more information, visit www.albertatenniscentre.ca.

ABOUT THE CALGARY NATIONAL BANK CHALLENGER:
The Calgary National Bank Challenger is the largest combined men's and women's indoor tennis tournament in Canada. The Calgary National Bank Challenger has quickly become one of the premier ATP Challenger events in the world and one of Alberta's premier sporting events. In 2022, Challenger hosted our inaugural International Tennis Federation (ITF) Women's Pro Circuit $60,000 event, featuring many of the best emerging and established players in the world. In 2023, the Calgary National Bank Challenger became the International Tennis Federation's first W60 event in Canada to offer paid hospitality to female players.

Previous participants in the Calgary National Bank Challenger event include former world number two and three-time Grand Slam singles finalist Casper Ruud of Norway; Former world No. 12 and 2013 Wimbledon singles finalist and 2023 Calgary National Bank Challenger singles champion Sabine Lisicki of Germany; Canadian tennis star and former Wimbledon doubles champion and world No. 25 Vasek Pospisil; The former world number 14. and 2018 Calgary National Bank Challenger champion Ivo Karlovic; Other star players who took part include: Maxime Cressey, Arthur Rinderknech, Joao Sousa, Benoit Paire, Tommy Robredo and Ursuzla Radwanska.

For more information: www.calgary.nationalbankchallenger.com

ABOUT THE WORKING FOR MORE HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVE
In 2016, the Working For More Health Equity Initiative, formerly the Women for Men's Health Initiative, held its first fundraiser – raising money to support research and awareness in areas affecting health of men. Since then, the group has raised over $500,000 through fundraising initiatives and secured more than a million donor dollars. Part of these funds were used to open a men's clinic opposite the prostate cancer center in June 2018.

Dr. Spaner has raised awareness of men's health through speaking engagements and fundraising initiatives, and was recognized in 2019 by PROSTAID Calgary with the Pathfinder's Award for his leadership and contribution to significant advances in prostate cancer research and treatment. PROSTAID Calgary is a support network that provides peer-to-peer support to men and their families on their journey with prostate cancer.

ABOUT NATIONAL BANK CHALLENGER TOURNAMENTS
The Calgary National Bank Challenger is one of several tournaments on the Challenger circuit sponsored by National Bank in Canada. With the aim of supporting the development of the international elite, the professional tournaments offer Canadian athletes their first experience on the tours and the opportunity to collect valuable points to climb the world rankings. Over the years, the National Bank Challenger tournaments have served as a springboard for players including Canadian stars Félix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu, as well as USA's Casper Ruud, Maxime Cressy and John Isner, Daniel Evans from Great Britain, Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki from Germany and Ons Jabeur from Tunisia.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rebecca Hurl
Brookline Public Relations, Inc.
[email protected]