International Tennis Academy Canada

A purposeful academy built inside a real tennis community

International Tennis Academy Canada is a coach-founded program based in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Instead of building a stand-alone campus miles from daily life, the academy chose to embed itself inside Great West Fitness & Tennis Club, the long-running tennis hub of the Fraser Valley. That decision shapes everything. Players move through a living club environment with nine courts on site, regular match play drawn from an active membership, and the practical amenities families need before and after training. The result is a development-first academy that looks and feels like real tennis.

The academy is directed by coaches Matias Orrego and Tony Iliesu, who bring a combined three decades of coaching across Canada, the United States, Chile, and Peru. Their brief is straightforward and ambitious: grow complete players who can compete confidently at club, provincial, and national levels while building habits that travel beyond the court. You feel that focus in the way drills are explained, how match play is scheduled, and how parents are brought into the loop without being asked to coach from the sideline.

Why Abbotsford works for tennis

Abbotsford sits in the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver, with a mild climate by Canadian standards and long rainy stretches that can disrupt outdoor-only programs. Year-round indoor capacity is not a luxury here; it is the difference between consistent progress and long gaps in training. ITAC’s home base solves that with four indoor hard courts and five outdoor hard courts. When the weather cooperates, players transition outside to manage sun, wind, and longer visual backdrops. When it does not, the plan stays intact indoors and no one loses rhythm.

Location also matters for competition. Abbotsford is close enough to the Lower Mainland’s tournament map to make weekend travel practical, but far enough from the city core to retain a strong community feel. Parents will appreciate that combination: access without grind.

Facilities and the daily training environment

The Great West complex is more than a row of courts. The club provides two gym areas, group fitness spaces, certified trainers, steam showers, and infrared saunas. For juniors in growth spurts, these recovery basics make a visible difference in how they handle workload and how quickly they bounce back between sessions. A small but meaningful advantage is the on-site pro shop with prompt stringing, which means racquet maintenance does not derail practice cycles.

Because the academy shares space with a thriving membership, there is a steady stream of match opportunities at all levels. Social doubles nights and league teams run through the calendar, and academy coaches can place players into live match situations that match their stage of development. The training day becomes predictable and practical: warm up in the gym, drill with purpose, play sets, recover, and go home without driving to three different locations.

Boarding is not part of the model here. Instead, ITAC functions as a high-structure day academy. Players who need short stays can often piece together intensive weeks by combining the published group schedule with private lessons and same-day court bookings. Families who value a normal school-home rhythm with serious training attached tend to thrive in this setup.

Coaches and the philosophy they teach

Co-founder and chief executive officer Matias Orrego has more than 15 years of experience, with a focus on development pathways for juniors and skill-building for adults. Co-founder and chief financial officer Tony Iliesu has coached at Great West for over 17 years and has a track record of placing players into National Collegiate Athletic Association programs in the United States. Together they have built a curriculum that aligns with Tennis Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development model and the Progressive Tennis pathway. That framework is not a slogan here. It appears in court-size choices, ball progressions, and clear outcome goals at each stage.

Young players work red, then orange, then green ball on right-sized courts before moving to full-court yellow ball. Advancement is based on rally benchmarks, serve and return competence, and transition skills rather than simply age. Adults get the same clarity with defined tiers that emphasize fundamentals, court positioning, and live-ball decision making. The common thread is specificity: every session has a purpose, and every purpose is explained in simple language.

Two case studies show the staff’s range. In one, a wheelchair tennis athlete reached a personal-best international ranking and earned selection to a major multi-sport team after sustained work on mobility patterns, serve accuracy, and point construction. In another, a junior named Gabriela won a provincial 3-star event after six months of targeted tactical training. Very different athletes, very different needs, one consistent coaching approach: adapt the plan to the person.

Programs you can plan around

ITAC structures its calendar in sessions with published time commitments and prices. For juniors, the fall term typically includes:

• Red Ball for ages 4 to 7
• Orange Ball for ages 8 to 11
• Green Ball for ages 11 to 17
• Competitive stream across under-12 to under-18
• High Performance block for committed tournament players

The entry tracks run 15 weeks with 15 total hours at 495 Canadian dollars plus tax. The High Performance option runs 15 weeks with 22.5 total hours at 900 Canadian dollars plus tax. Each track lists concrete skill objectives, so families can see exactly what a player is expected to master during the term.

Adults are not an afterthought. The academy runs clear tiers: Beginner or Learn to Play, Intermediate rally clinics geared toward pre-league players, Advanced 3.5, and a high-tempo Advanced Drill at 4.5. All are seven-session blocks, priced at 231 Canadian dollars plus tax for Beginner through Advanced 3.5, and 347 Canadian dollars plus tax for the 4.5 drill group. Parents who want to rally with their kids without sending mixed messages find these adult tiers especially helpful.

Private and semi-private lessons are available year round from the founders and select staff. Private lessons are listed at 84 Canadian dollars per hour plus tax. Semi-private rates scale by group size, from 47 Canadian dollars per person for two players to 36 Canadian dollars per person for four. These blocks are useful for targeted work between group sessions, such as dialing in a kick serve, refining return depth against lefties, or building first-step speed for wide balls.

Summer options add weeklong camps for beginners, intermediates, and high performance players. Beginner and intermediate camps are typically six hours across a week at 180 Canadian dollars plus tax. The high performance camp runs four hours across a week at 160 Canadian dollars plus tax. Camp days mix tennis, athletic literacy, and recovery to keep enthusiasm high while avoiding overuse.

How players actually improve here

ITAC’s development approach covers the full spectrum of a player’s growth. It is detailed without being complicated, and it is delivered consistently across staff.

• Technical. Early sessions emphasize contact point awareness, compact take-backs, and balanced recoveries between shots. As players move into green and yellow ball, the focus shifts to serve foundations, second-serve reliability under pressure, and the footwork patterns that create time. Grips and swing shapes are taught in context rather than in isolation, which helps players build strokes that survive real points.

• Tactical. Drills evolve from rally tolerance to direction and height control, then add serve-plus-one patterns and first-strike decision making. Competitive and high performance groups lean into return games, neutral ball control, and the transition phase. Players learn when to reset with height and margin and when to press with pace or angle. Video feedback is used sparingly and purposefully.

• Physical. With gym space and trainers in the same building, off-court work can address basic agility, movement quality, and prehab for growing bodies. Older juniors add sprint mechanics, rotational strength, and deceleration training. Recovery is part of the plan, not an afterthought, with steam and sauna options for post-session resets.

• Mental. The culture emphasizes match-ready habits. Players get frequent touches of live ball through in-house sets, club socials, and league play. Goal-setting is concrete and visible. For high performance athletes, the staff’s willingness to travel to tournaments and coach on the road provides continuity that often shows up in tight third sets.

• Educational. The junior progressions are explained in plain language to players and parents, which keeps home conversations aligned with the coaching voice. School outreach in Abbotsford provides a pipeline for first-time players and a structured path into entry programs.

Competition, pathways, and proof of concept

Great West is a regular host for sanctioned provincial events, including two-star junior tournaments. That home-court access reduces travel and raises the frequency of meaningful matches. The staff’s college guidance is pragmatic, especially for families eyeing NCAA programs. The pathway is earned rather than promised, but having coaches who have placed players in collegiate lineups helps families focus on the right tournaments, timelines, and academic checkpoints.

Success stories are specific rather than grandiose. The wheelchair tennis case demonstrates a coach’s willingness to research, adapt, and ride the learning curve with an athlete. The Gabriela 3-star win is a telling junior milestone that followed a clearly defined six-month tactical plan. Both examples point to a staff that measures progress in observable outcomes.

Culture and community life

Training beside club members gives players a tangible sense of tennis as a lifelong sport. Juniors see adults arriving after work to compete in league matches and understand that the skills they are building have enduring value. The atmosphere is friendly but focused. Coaches set standards and players respect them. Parents get clarity without being asked to micromanage practice. The club’s social calendar means teammates often become friends, and that makes the grind of daily improvement easier to embrace.

Costs, access, and scholarships

Pricing is published and straightforward. Junior entry tracks sit at 495 Canadian dollars plus tax for a 15-week term, with high performance at 900 Canadian dollars plus tax for the same stretch. Adult blocks are 231 Canadian dollars plus tax for most levels and 347 Canadian dollars plus tax at the top drill tier. Private lessons are 84 Canadian dollars per hour plus tax, with semi-private lessons scaling by group size. Families commonly combine one group track with a private session every week or two, plus a steady diet of sets drawn from club socials or league play.

Non-members can typically book same-day courts, which makes it easy for visiting relatives or traveling training partners to join a session. Scholarships are not actively advertised. Families seeking financial help should ask directly about need-based accommodations or volunteer trade-offs at registration. The academy’s staff has a reputation for being practical and transparent in these conversations.

What truly differentiates ITAC

• A real club for a real sport. The training base is a busy facility where juniors share space with league teams and social play. That accelerates the transition from controlled drills to real matches.

• Year-round capacity with outdoor exposure. The split of four indoor courts and five outdoor courts provides consistent winter reps and weather literacy in summer.

• Coach-founders who travel. Parents do not need to push for tournament support. The staff has demonstrated that it will accompany players to events when it is the right step for development.

• Inclusive coaching. Wheelchair tennis and adaptive work are part of the culture, reinforcing an environment that is willing to learn, adjust, and meet athletes where they are.

• Practical infrastructure. On-site fitness, recovery, stringing, and a pro shop reduce the number of errands families juggle around training and keep more of the day focused on improvement.

How it compares to other Canadian options

British Columbia and Canada at large offer a range of strong training environments. Families deciding between ITAC and other programs should look closely at fit, logistics, and the kind of community they want around them.

• If you want a larger metropolitan option near Vancouver International Airport, compare ITAC’s club-embedded model with the more centralized setup at the Vancouver International Tennis Academy. Each offers year-round training, but the day-to-day feel and commute patterns are different.

• For families willing to travel or relocate within Canada, the scale and university integration at the Saville Tennis Centre in Edmonton provide a different flavor of community and competition.

• In Ontario, the high-performance track record at the ACE Academy at Toronto Tennis City offers another benchmark for structured progressions and college placement. Comparing published calendars, training volumes, and match-play frequency across these options helps clarify which model matches your goals.

Future outlook and vision

ITAC’s recent growth shows in the expansion of adult tiers, the clarity of the junior competitive ladder, and visible involvement in local tournaments. The club’s school outreach points to a broader pipeline of first-time players, which should strengthen entry programs and create a healthier competitive base over time. Expect the academy to keep refining its high performance block, to add more integrated competition weeks that link specific skill targets to specific tournament windows, and to invest in staff education so the curriculum stays aligned with best practices in Tennis Canada’s framework.

On the facilities side, the club’s commitment to maintenance and programming supports a stable training environment. Incremental upgrades matter more than flashy one-offs here. That philosophy matches the academy’s identity: steady, cumulative gains that add up.

Is it for you

Choose International Tennis Academy Canada if you want a structured, progressive program embedded in a real club environment rather than a siloed training bubble. The daily setup is simple to navigate, the prices are transparent, and the coaches are hands-on with both developing juniors and adults. It suits families in the Fraser Valley who value indoor capacity in winter, meaningful match play year round, and access to coaches who will travel when an athlete is ready for that step.

If you are searching for full boarding, a clay-court focus, or a residential academic program tied directly to training, this is not that model. If you want a practical, community-connected pathway that still treats performance seriously, ITAC has the ingredients to make steady progress week after week. The combination of coach leadership, real-world match exposure, and a supportive club atmosphere makes it one of the most grounded choices in British Columbia for players who plan to grow for years, not just a season.