Fonthill Platform Tennis Club celebrates 50 years

It was a packed crowd at the Fonthill Platform Tennis Club (FPTC) last Sunday, as members celebrated the 50th anniversary of the club located at the old Pelham Arena grounds on Haist Street, which are currently being redeveloped as a residential neighbourhood. An unfortunate consequence of the construction is that the FPTC currently has no water line in operation, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance.

“We have a membership of about 100 members, and it looks like most of them are here, along with some of the original founding members,” said FPTC president Terry Molkoski.

Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin announced to the boisterous group that Town Council had just approved a new seven-to-ten year lease and $25,000 in funding for FPTC, which will come out of the Town’s water and wastewater reserves. The club was unable to qualify for a grant from the Ontario Trillium Fund in 2022 because it didn’t have a long-term lease agreement in place with the Town.

Molkoski said that the grant money will be used for infrastructure improvements at the club, “allowing for expansion our footprint, so that we can increase our membership as the town is growing.”

The club provides league play, both social and competitive, five nights per week from September until May. Members range in age from ten to over 80, with programs for senior and junior men and women.

Three local families — the Humphries, Carsons, and Burns/Sobiskis — have three generations at the club.

FPTC introduced the members of its inaugural Hall of Fame: Ron Hall, Sharon O’Rourke (representing husband Brendan), Karen Magee (husband Tim Magee deceased), Janet Evans (husband Denis Evans deceased), Lynne Young, Mary Smith, Nancy Jordan, and Barb Hall (representing her parents Ann and Don Humphries). Nancy Jordan was honoured with the club’s inaugural Century Award.

So what exactly is platform tennis?

“It’s an outdoor sport played year-round, but primarily during the fall, winter, and spring,” said Molkoski. “We often play on winter evenings, under the lights, with propane heaters under the wooden courts to melt the snow. The game is sort of a combination of squash and racquetball, because the ball is played off of a screen.”

The court is about one-third the size of a traditional tennis court, and is surrounded by a 12-foot wire fence.

FPTC started in 1972 as a single court on Highway 20, the first facility of its kind in Canada. The club relocated to its current spot, adjacent to the old Pelham Arena, in 1989. Two courts were erected, along with the current clubhouse, donated by then-car-dealership-owner Bob Neal. The courts were rebuilt by volunteers and local tradespeople in 2005, and refurbished again in 2014 with most of the screens replaced, the decking tightened, the net posts repaired, and the courts repainted.

The club is always welcoming of new members. For further information, email [email protected]