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Racquet sport facility looking for name

The Padel Association of Canada (PAC) is bringing an indoor sports facility to the foothills, but it needs the community’s help to do so. PAC president Bill Stamile announced last year the association has secured a 4.

The Padel Association of Canada (PAC) is bringing an indoor sports facility to the foothills, but it needs the community’s help to do so.

PAC president Bill Stamile announced last year the association has secured a 4.8-acre site at the Warner Business Park, east of Okotoks, on which to build a new racquet and fitness centre.

Now Stamile said he is looking for a local businesses to step in and purchase naming rights for the facility.

“Here’s an opportunity for the locals to come to the table and help us out,” he explained.

While half of the $800,000 purchase price of the land has been subsidized, a $400,000 cash infusion is still required to finance the remainder.

Although there are other financial options on the table to close the deal, Stamile is canvassing for potential purchasers of 10-year naming rights in order to engage the community in his pet project.

“I want to try and get the community engaged,” he explained. “(It) will add a lot more credibility to what we’re doing.”

The multi-use facility, which is expected to cost $2.2 million to build, will feature four indoor tennis courts, four padel courts, a gymnasium, golf academy and a fitness aerobics centre.

Stamile said he is eager for the chance to bring padel to the racquet sport-savvy residents of Okotoks and the MD of Foothills.

The sport has been in existence for 20 years in Canada and is played by more than 10 million people worldwide. In fact, Calgary hosted the World Padel Championships in 2008 and is becoming renowned as a relative hotbed for the sport.

To finally secure a full-time centre for their sport is a dream for PAC — an organization consisting entirely of volunteers, including Stamile.

“We could bring top athletes to the area in our sport,” he said.

The fledgling sport has been candidly described as “tennis with walls”, operating under a similar scoring system and using roughly 80 per cent of a tennis skill-set and 20 per cent squash and racquetball, according to Stamile.

Canada’s headquarters of Padel, which consists of three outdoor courts in Calgary, does not measure up with those of emerging world powers like Brazil, Argentina and Portugal.

“The best thing we can do is get a shovel out and hope that we get a Chinook so we can play,” Stamile said.

By opening a multi-court indoor facility, Stamile envisioned the possibility of the recreational complex becoming a host for international tour stops.

The facility has also drawn interest from Tennis Canada, Stamile added.

With the mainstream appeal of tennis, the courts could be the gateway to attracting other sports to the racquet and fitness centre.

“The easiest way to get us some pretty good cash flow is with tennis,” Stamile said, after mentioning the possibility of becoming an official Tennis Canada site.

While he awaits word from the surrounding areas regarding land designations and a development permit, Stamile insisted he is eager to start construction.

“The process can start (as soon as) this afternoon,” he said, provided the funding comes through.

More information on the racquet and fitness centre can be found on their official website, www.racquetrec.ca.

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