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The possibility of year-round tennis in Whitehorse is currently in the hands of the populace.

Tennis Yukon released a survey last week seeking input on its desire to build an indoor facility in the Yukon capital.

The club is researching whether or not the city can support an indoor tennis facility and is asking its members and other citizens for feedback.

The survey is available at http://fluidsurveys.com/s/yukontennis-e-invite/, and is being conducted by a third party who will keep personal information confidential and anonymous in its report.

"We'd all love to see indoor courts and play year-round,鈥� Tennis鈥圷ukon president Stacy Lewis told the Star today. "Now we're looking for some hard numbers. The more people that fill the survey out, the better.鈥�

With the help of a $20,000 grant from the territorial government's Community Development Fund, the club hired a consultant to carry out a feasibility study, which includes items such as the recently-released survey and case studies on Canadian tennis communities of similar size.

Tennis Yukon's current membership is reportedly above 130.

While the summer sees members play at the outdoor courts at Mount McIntyre, the current winter programming has players practising out of the gym at Yukon College.

But restricted access and a loss of members who prefer winter sports such as squash to playing tennis in a gym have rendered the present situation as "not great,鈥� Lewis said.

So far, the club has received 50 completed survey responses already, and hopes to get at least 150 to 200.

"We're really looking for where we're at,鈥� she said. "We want to explore the partnerships available and leverage any facility in a responsible way. If the numbers are not good enough to proceed, we won't be.鈥�

Jeff Wiggins, director of golf at Mountain View Golf Club, said he has had conversations with Tennis Yukon regarding partnering on an indoor facility. One possibility would see the facility end up on the golf club's grounds.

"The idea is great,鈥� Wiggins said. "Golf and tennis go really well together.鈥�

Meanwhile, the tennis season is scheduled to begin this week with two open houses at the Mount McIntyre courts. The first event is slated for Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., followed by a second 鈥榯ry tennis' night May 29.

Participants will be able to complete the survey at the open house events.

On the eve of their summer season, the club announced head coach Jan Polivka has achieved his Level 2 coaching accreditation via Tennis Canada.

The recent certification makes Polivka the only Level 2 instructor in the North, and just one of 150 across the country.

Level 2 coaches are trained in the role of a performance coach working with juniors age five to 12 to develop a strong foundation 鈥� technically, tactically, physically and psychologically.

The new level is catered towards high performance athletes, the coach explained today.

"The training was definitely beneficial,鈥� he said. "Hopefully it helps to advance and build some high performance players in the Yukon.鈥�

Polivka travelled to Vancouver several times over an 18-month period to complete the course work required for his certification.

"Having a coach with this level of certification in the Yukon will allow us to cultivate the skills of our local high performance athletes, and also offer specialized camps and clinics to players from across the North,鈥� Lewis explained.

In July, the club will host a pan-northern high performance tennis camp for players from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska.