Bear Mountain Tennis Centre opens its first state-of-the-art Bubble

October 27, 2018

(Victoria, BC – October 27, 2018)  The newest and best place to play tennis on Vancouver Island is opening its doors for the indoor season. The Bear Mountain Tennis Centre and Director of Tennis Russ Hartley welcomes  members of the public and all tennis enthusiasts to be the guests and experience the Resort’s brand new four-court tennis bubble from 12 noon to 6 PM on Saturday, October 27th.

“This is what so many players in the region have been waiting for,” says Hartley.  “An additional state-of-the-art indoor tennis facility for the winter season.”  The first of two tennis bubbles planned for Bear Mountain underwent a carefully phased preparation and installation program that started in late spring.  The trigger for the installation of the second bubble is hitting the 200 memberships mark.  Hartley says that is basically double the number of current memberships and he hopes to reach his target by May 1, 2019.

“The grade beam and foundation for the second bubble is already installed,” says Hartley. “May 1st is our 200 membership target date because it takes four months to manufacture the customized bubble for a September delivery and an early fall activation.”

The spacious heated four-court bubble (also referred to as a dome) is climate-controlled with energy efficient lighting and interior seating. The bubble will remain up for winter play until the start of the spring season in late April – early May when it will come down for the outdoor season.

“This is the nicest and largest four court bubble I have seen anywhere,” says Hartley.  “With the central interior viewing area and generous court spacing, it’s close to the size of a five court bubble.  Factor in the 48 count LED suspended lighting design and the 40’ ceiling height, and it has an almost cathedral like impact when you enter the courts.”

“Our members are absolutely blown away, “ says Hartley. “One member, who happens to be the President of another local club remarked, “I have nothing to say, it’s absolutely perfect”.”

Manufactured by industry leader The Farley Group, the supported structure was custom designed and fabricated at the company’s Ontario-based 58,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility – which itself is an air supported structure located west of Toronto.

Founder of The Farley Group brought the concept to North America from Sweden over 40 years ago, and since 1970, he and his associates have contributed to the manufacture and sale of over 900 air-supported structures throughout the world.

Background Information:

 The Tennis Bubble/Dome:

  • Bubbles are custom designed to climatic conditions
  • Bubbles hold a slightly higher air pressure inside the bubble to support the entire structure
  • Fresh air constantly flows into the structure to maintain the pressure.
  • Bubble access includes revolving doors
  • The bubble is made of several layers of fabrics:
    • Outer layer is architectural grade vinyl coated polyester fabric. The pattern is made specific to the shape you want to achieve.
    • Inner layer is a liner that helps improve the thermal and acoustic qualities of the bubble.
  • Farley bubbles easily last 20-25 years
  • All bubbles have emergency standby systems that activate during power outages. Driven by a generator, the system keeps the structure inflated until power is back on
  • The fabric used for the bubbles has self-extinguishing characteristics in case of fire. It may melt when exposed to flame, but the fabric contains fire retardant chemicals that make it impossible to sustain combustion

Bear Mountain Tennis Centre:

  • Largest indoor/outdoor clay court tennis facility supported by Tennis Canada and Tennis BC.
  • Eventually earn a designation as a tennis development center (TDC)
  • Develop as a future host site for island, provincial, national and international events.
  • Goal to become a world-class premier tennis destination for local, provincial, national and international tournaments
  • Inspire players to enjoy tennis at all levels of play and grow a vibrant tennis community
  • The Bear Mountain Tennis Centre is currently open seven days a week from 6 AM to 9 PM