Tennis Canada

Tennis Canada and Dairy Farmers Form Record Partnership

May 22, 2008

Multi-year agreement promotes healthy, active lifestyle in Everyday Champions

Tennis Canada announced Thursday it has reached a historic multi-year partnership with Dairy Farmers of Canada. The deal represents the largest Canadian grassroots sponsorship for the sport of tennis.

The highlight of the partnership is a national public service campaign entitled Everyday Champions. It describes those individuals who excel both on and off the tennis court, enjoying benefits of playing tennis while striving for excellence and enjoying the healthy rewards of Canadian milk products. Whether a volunteer at a local club, a parent or an elite player, all people have the power to be an Everyday Champion. The stories of these champions will be promoted throughout Canada in the form of public service announcements in print and television ads, Web sites and during the Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal. An Everyday Champions microsite will be created to include a schedule of programs, share stories of champions, awards and photos.

“The life-long benefits of tennis and the importance of consuming milk products is a perfect marriage,” said Michael S. Downey, president and chief executive officer, Tennis Canada. “We are proud of the countless Everyday Champions in tennis communities across Canada and look forward to providing participants with enhanced tennis programming and nutritious milk products. On behalf of the more than 1.90 million Canadians who play tennis on a regular basis, I would like to thank Dairy Farmers of Canada for their commitment to our sport. This is a historic partnership.”

Dairy Farmers of Canada and Tennis Canada aligned with its provincial tennis associations to create a national activation schedule. Everyday Champions kits including tennis equipment, milk products, prizing and promotional clothing will be rolled out to 590 communities, clubs, schools and events throughout Canada. Members of an activation crew will attend several of these events. Tennis enthusiasts in cities across the country will benefit from this historic partnership. A list of communities that will welcome the Everyday Champions activation teams is available at www.tenniseveryday.com.

“Dairy Farmers of Canada is committed to promoting healthy eating and physical activity habits to help Canadians reach and maintain their healthy weight,” said Ian MacDonald, national director, marketing and nutrition, Dairy Farmers of Canada. “We are proud to partner with Tennis Canada and support Everyday Champions, a program that will reach families across Canada and provide them with tools to help them adopt a healthy lifestyle.”

In addition to grassroots activations, Dairy Farmers of Canada will be a platinum partner of the Rogers Cup events in Toronto and Montreal. As an ambassador to health and wellness, Dairy Farmers of Canada will host interactive stations during the world-class sporting events, showcasing the benefits of physical activity when combined with nutritious Canadian milk products. Daily Everyday Champions, including players, volunteers, officials and fans will be named throughout the tournaments. Their efforts will be promoted through the media, in the daily draw sheets, on-site video boards and on rogerscup.com.

Dairy Farmers of Canada will also be the title sponsor of the (Everyday Champions) Stanley Park Open presented by Acura, with the 2008 event scheduled from July 12-27. The Vancouver tournament is one of the largest amateur tennis events in North America as nearly 800 participants took the courts in 2007.