The Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club was recently welcomed into the world’s most exclusive tennis association: the Association of Centenary Tennis Clubs (CTC) with its motto, “100 years of tennis tradition to inspire future generations.”
The Association of Centenary Tennis Clubs is an umbrella group representing the oldest, greatest tennis clubs in the world. All member clubs must have a history dating back at least a hundred years, as well as a significant sporting tradition and social role.
This is an association that welcomes only the world’s very top clubs. It has a membership of just 78, and only two members so far from Canada – the Mount Royal Tennis Club and the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. Now The Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club has been added to this prestigious list.
Our club was founded as the Ottawa Tennis Club in 1881 and originally played at courts on Elgin Street and at Cartier Square. Not until the 1920s did the club move to its present-day site on the Rideau River in Ottawa South. The Cameron Avenue Clubhouse opened on June 4, 1923 with a tournament of Canadian and American tennis stars.
Nearly a hundred years later, in 2019, the Clubhouse was awarded heritage status by the City of Ottawa and the club was awarded a grant from Canadian Heritage for the building’s restoration. To learn more about this project and how to support it click here.
OTLBC is extremely proud to join this association, not only because of its prestige, but because of our love for the sport of tennis and the way that our club mission, vision and core values align with those of the CTC.
CTC mission
“Our aim at CTC is to uphold the traditions of tennis, as well as the spirit of fair play which is inherent in this great sport. We look to achieve this through organising competitions and other sporting and cultural events; arranging tennis workshops and seminars; and generally supporting the activities of member clubs around the world. We also strongly encourage the development of young talent. We give our support to a range of junior events and seek to foster the future stars of the sport.”
To learn more about CTC visit: www.centenarytennisclubs.org
Congratulations OTLBC!