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Tuesday, May 01, 2012


Capital Region Tennis Association receives donation from Canadian Entrepreneur, Lorne Abony


April 30, 2012 7:30 AM


NEW BRUNSWICK, April 30, 2012 /CNW/ - The Capital Region Tennis Association (CRTA) today announced it has received a $250,000 donation from Canadian entrepreneur Lorne Abony for the construction of a regional Community Tennis Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

The Capital Region Tennis Association (CRTA), in partnership with Tennis Canada and Tennis New Brunswick, is in the final planning stages of its new indoor tennis facility, thanks to the generous donation of Lorne Abony, Canadian businessman and CEO of London and Toronto Stock Exchange listed Mood Media Corporation.  Mood Media is the world's largest in-store media company, providing in-store media solutions in over 580,000 commercial locations in over 40 countries. Mood Media has 2,300 employees and an enterprise value in excess of $1.1 billion.

Abony, an avid tennis player and fan who competes in local, national, and international tennis events, said Monday he is thrilled to be involved with the continued growth and expansion of tennis in our local communities.

The Abony Tennis Centre will be located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and will focus on developing tennis at the grassroots level.  The Community Tennis Centre will be the only six-court tennis facility in the Maritime Provinces and, as such, will be a regional center for the growth of tennis and could serve as the Eastern Canadian regional training center.  Additionally, it will attract indoor international events and will be a primary venue for provincial tournaments, wheelchair events, school programs, and programs for children, adults, and seniors.

The CRTA, a non-profit organization created by local tennis enthusiasts in 2006, has been instrumental in the effort to promote tennis as a sport and recreational activity within the Capital Region.  Through successful partnerships with Tennis Canada, Tennis New Brunswick, local municipalities, and school district, the CRTA has gained the support and planning necessary to begin the development of the Community Tennis Centre.

With full support from Tennis Canada, promotion of the planned Community Tennis Centre will include visibility at the storied Rogers Cup ATP World Tour Masters tournament, which brings the top-ranked tennis players from around the world and attracts over 200,000 tennis fans annually.

Tennis is recognized as a low-cost activity that provides significant health benefits to participants of all ages, and thus attracts children from all walks of life.  Against this backdrop, the CRTA began for the planning and development of an indoor community tennis center in 2007.

The facility will be heated and air conditioned by way of a geothermal system, reducing operating costs to a fraction of the costs incurred by similar facilities with traditional heating and cooling systems.  There are currently only six other geothermal tennis facilities in the world, which will place this facility at the forefront of "green" technology internationally. This will be the first of its kind in Canada.

Tennis Canada has been a partner in this project from the beginning, and intends to use this project as a model for growing grassroots tennis and developing indoor tennis infrastructure throughout Canada.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/964021/capital-region-tennis-association-receives-donation-from-canadian-entrepreneur-lorne-abony


 

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