The Calgary National Bank Challenger tennis tournament, held since 2018, is at least for the moment out, while other events like the Calgary Minor Soccer Association’s Allstate Family Day Classic continue to grow.
The difference being the extent to which international competitors are required, with the Challenger being international in nature, and the Classic much more Canadian team focused.
Organizers for the Challenger, which has been held in Calgary since 2018, said that they declined to host the Challenger in the face of a declining Canadian dollar and economic uncertainty.
“Hosting the Challenger is a big undertaking for our organization, especially as a community-based, non-profit Centre and our small organizing committee. Since 2018, the Challenger has doubled in size, and the funds required to deliver this event have grown each year,” said Danny Da Costa, CEO of the Alberta Tennis Centre.
“Our current Canadian market conditions, coupled with a weak Canadian dollar and the threat of tariffs, pose too much risk for our organization to consider hosting at this time. We remain hopeful that the event can return in the future.”
In a report prepared for the 2024 Challenger, there were 15,724 in-person spectators over eight days—an increase of 20 per cent over 2023—and another 168,393 viewers online in over 200 countries. Since 2018, the tournament has drawn more than 55,000 spectators.
The 2024 event was Canada’s second-largest tennis tournament, and according to statistics compiled for the economic outcomes of the tournament, generated more than $5 million in economic impact and bookings for 1,041 hotel rooms.
“We’re extremely proud of what we’ve built here in Calgary and the impact we’ve had on this great city,” said Da Costa.
Gavin Ziv, CEO of Tennis Canada said that it would be strange to not have the Calgary Challenger on the year’s schedule.
“It’s an event that has played a pivotal role in growing tennis in Canada, especially in the West. In its five years, the organizing committee, led by Danny Da Costa, has done a tremendous job in staging an event that has consistently gone above and beyond, and we are hopeful it will return in the coming years,” Ziv said.
Speaking on the Allstate Family Day Classic, Kyle Sicat, Competitions Coordinator at CMSA said that the tournament had drawn in a record-breaking number of teams at 276—a nine per cent increase over 2024.
The vast majority of those minor soccer teams are local, but 50 were teams travelling to the city from across Western Canada.
“The Allstate Family Day Classic has attracted teams from all over the province, the Kootenays, and beyond,” said Carlo Bruneau, Executive Director of CMSA.
“With 276 teams playing across three venues, we continue to feel the growing demand and need for more field space. While we’ve done our best to accommodate as many teams as we can this year, it would be incredible to have a dedicated fieldhouse to host major competitions such as this one.”
