Lakeshore League ’25 Launch

Since 1979, the Lakeshore League has been organizing team play among clubs in Mississauga, Halton and Hamilton. After several years under the stewardship of Amanda Arkaev, the league has now passed into the very energetic hands of Alex Bittermann and Greg Kirsten, aka the Halton Tennis Association. 

Thanks to title sponsorship with Mrakovic Fine Foods, a Captains Gathering was hosted in Oakville at the flagship store on May 7th. The evening kicked off with a bountiful buffet, followed by a rundown of the upcoming season and a draw for prizes. Supporters included Andrew Chappell from the OTA office, and representatives from Enter the Battlefield and from Woodbridge Fireplace … both being sponsors of the HTA tournament in July. 

There are 16 clubs this year (8 of which are in SouthWest Region), and a total of 41 teams across five regular divisions and two new “premier men’s” divisions. The league follows a relegation system, with one team going up and one going down a division at the end of each season. 

Scheduling involves all sorts of complexities to accommodate a home-and-home format in each division, and timing variations within each of the clubs. Statutory holidays are taken into account and there’s a two-week hiatus for the NBO’s new extended format. There’s also a break for the Halton Championship Tournament in mid-July. Teams have 10 or 12 matches from May through September, and there’s an extra week at the end for playoffs within some divisions. 

An end-of-year Gala is in the works, with team awards provided by Mrakovic Fine Foods and also individual awards for MVP and for sportsmanship. Dancing will be paramount! 

For the draw : OTA branded prizes were won by Applewood, Tecumseh and Wallace Park. A Halton TA collared shirt was won by White Oaks. And the grand prize of NBO tickets was won by Mississauga Golf & Country Club.