All-Inclusive Multi-Sport Court Opens at Optimist Park Hespeler

Canadian Tire - All Inclusive Multi Sport Court in Cambridge Ontario

It has been a long time coming, but as they say, good things happen to those that wait! In 2022, The Canadian Tire Jumpstart program, which helps provide funding to create inclusive play for children of all abilities, offered the City of Cambridge $500,000 to support the project.

Newspaper article stated at the time that it would provide space for accessible space for sports such as basketball, pickleball, sitting volleyball, tennis, volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

Three possible locations were suggested for the City of Cambridge. I felt, the Hespeler Optimist Park, next to Hespeler Arena was the ideal location. I did my part to promote and lobby for this location. Thankfully, the consultants agreed and picked this as the preferred location.

While other cities like Brandon, Manitoba, took only 5 months to complete the project. The City of Cambridge, due to a thorough public consultation process, and delays by contractors, the project took two years to complete. It is exciting to see the completed project. It is located at 640 Ellis Road and open to the public now. 

What the All Inclusive Multi Sport Court Consists of

The result is a fantastic new addition for the health of our community. The Multi-Sport Court Consists of:

1 Court 1:

• Basketball Court (standard and adaptive play)
• Fixed Basketball Nets (adjustable height) [x2]

2 Court 2:

• Tennis (standard and adaptive play)
• Pickleball (standard and adaptive play)
• Volleyball (standard and adaptive play)
• Badminton (standard and adaptive play)
• Multi-Sport Net (adjustable height) [x1]

3 Free Play Area – informal play

4 Central Shade Canopy with Double Wide Courtside Benches

5 Spectator Shade Canopy with 5-Tier Accessible Bleachers

6 Basketball Nets with Keys (fixed height) – informal play

7 Accessible Tables with Seats and Umbrellas [x6]

The court facility also includes:

• Acrylic Court Surface
• Perimeter Fencing with Access Gates
• LED Court Lighting
• Accessible Parking