History
The Fonthill Platform Tennis Club started in 1972 as a single court on Highway 20 on property owned by Steed and Evans. The club began as the result of discussions held by several friends while enjoying the game of bridge. The game itself had been seen in the eastern United States and brought here. When the construction of the original court of the Fonthill Platform Tennis Club court was completed, it became the first facility of its kind in Canada.
Club members in the early days were not fully familiar with all of the rules of the sport. Wooden paddles that only slightly resembled today’s laminated, grit coated paddles were used. Shortly afterward, a new club began in Toronto and as player skills developed, several inter-club games were played with the friendly members of the Kingsway Platform Tennis Club.
Ron Ferguson, one of the founding members, quipped, that at a scramble some years back held in Toronto, that the Toronto members were quite kind and scheduled the Fonthill members to play games with a later start time to allow for the long trip. As the Fonthill people arrived in Toronto, they watched some of the play already taking place to size up the opposition. Ron said that everything looked normal until a player let a passing ball go by and proceeded to play it after it bounced off the back screen. This was the first they knew what the screens were for, and that this was a normal part of play. They thought the screens were simply to keep the ball from going out into the snow!
After several years of braving the strong winds up on the hill the club moved to a park in North Pelham in 1988. This location for the club did not work out the club was moved again … before the construction was complete.
The Fonthill Platform Tennis Club moved to its current location at the Fonthill Arena in the 1989. At this time two courts were erected along with the current clubhouse, kindly donated by Rob Neal .
Through the years, the Club, courts and clubhouse have been maintained and upgraded, mostly through the volunteer efforts of club members. In 2005 the courts were rebuilt by volunteers and local trades people under the guidance of Dave Dodge of Premier Platform Tennis.
The courts were again refurbished in 2014 with most of the screens being replaced. The decking was tightened, the net posts were repaired and the courts were repainted.
Today, the club is thriving with approximately 80 members. Leagues run Monday through Friday evenings and Thursday morning each week from October until late April. Daytime pickup games are played most Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and occasionally on Tuesdays.