Dustin Heise 0:00

Awesome. Well, holy smokes, is it ever nice to get some time with Danny DaCosta? Thanks so much for taking some time today, Danny. It's uh a million miles a minute these days for the two of us and yourself especially. So much going on and so much expansion in your world, and again, what an incredible leader. Today's guest is Danny DaCosta, CEO of Austin and Victor Alberta Tennis Center, where he's helped build one of Canada's premier year-round tennis facilities from the ground up. With three decades of leadership across national, provincial, and regional sport organizations. He's dedicated his career to growing participation, developing athletes, and building stronger communities throughout sport. I'm amongst one of the best in the biz, Danny DiCasa. Welcome, man. Thanks so much. Thank you. Thank you for having me, Justin. It's good to be here. Hey man, like you've been moving a million miles a minute here with the Alberta Tennis Center from idea on paper to Canada's you know leading tennis facility. You know, what was the defining moment when you realized the vision could actually come to life?

Danny Da Costa 1:02

Yeah, you know, joining the Alberta Tennis Center from its inception really gave me uh uh an interesting perspective to help shape the organization. You know, most people when they come into an organization are already part of a culture and they have to sort of adapt. In in my case, I got to build the culture, which was great. So for me, the you know, the most uh the defining moment, as you say, is um would be when we realized we had the right team to really drive the um mission and vision of our organization. And uh we've done that in a number of ways, but uh it really helped to create the culture that we based on a people-first approach and uh where we invest heavily in in our team and in their professional and personal growth and creating an involved an inclusive culture where everyone feels um respected and and and trusted.

Dustin Heise 1:48

Now, you've led national sport organizations, provincial sport organizations. You've now been leading, you know, this organization as the CEO for you know over 10 years. You know, you talked about making sure that you knew the click was there, you you had the people in place and you've made that a clear priority, obviously. But how and why have you always known that you know bringing those right people in and having those people around you, making that the priority is the shared purpose?

Danny Da Costa 2:16

Yeah, you know, I'm I'm you know, sport is a great unifier, it brings people together. And then when you have the right people, it really makes a big difference in trying to align and drive your mission and vision, as I said. And it and it uh brings everyone to, you know, it's a great connector, it brings people together. And uh, you know, for us, having the right team in place is a very important aspect of this because everything starts with team, you know, we're building programs and pathways. And without having the right people around you uh to help support what you're doing is it makes it more difficult.

Dustin Heise 2:48

You've been a leader for a long time, Danny. Like, how do how do you know intrinsically, or how have you taught yourself with what coaching or tools to know that you've in fact got the right people around you? And, you know, I'm sure along the way sometimes you've had to make adjustments and whatnot, but you know, how do you always know that you've got the right person in the right seat at any given time? What are some of the things that you do to kind of come back to that and know either gut check-wise or or on paper with the evidence? What have you done anecdotally or or evidence-wise?

Danny Da Costa 3:17

Yeah, I think, you know, we always try to find people that are are aligned in how you how I think, you know, but I also know that like I know where my gaps are as a leader and I know what I'm looking for. So making sure that you have the right people, first of all, are passionate about what they're doing. It's not just another job for them. You want them to really feel like they can contribute in a meaningful way. I also like people that I when I see when I hire people, I like to see what skills that they can bring to an organization. And for us, it's uh putting the right people in in place and uh giving them the space to really develop and and grow and allow them to make mistakes and not get into the you know, overmanaging them. You just kind of making sure that you can guide them into a place that is helpful to their career.

Dustin Heise 4:00

I love that. Hey, accessibility and inclusion has been a big piece of what you guys continue to lead by. Do you mind just sharing a little bit about how you make sure that that's always on the forefront for you?

Danny Da Costa 4:10

It is, you know, like it's it's a huge part of uh what we do. It's you know, it's really central to what our organization is all about. You know, it started, I guess, with our founder's vision, Ron Gitter. Um, Ron Gitter is uh a very uh unique individual. I'm very fortunate to have him. He's a great uh role model and mentor for me. Ron and I, when we first met, had a a real shared desire to uh make the center a center for all. Um Ron started the first human rights uh legislation in Alberta. Wow. And he started the Alberta Human Rights Commission. He's in the Order of Canada, he was a former Canadian senator as well. So by having that sort of mutual bond of improving inclusion and equity, uh that was part of that was the first thing. Second thing, I think, is also like tennis has a uh some false perceptions. People think tennis is this elitist sport, you know, everyone's wearing white or play tennis in a in a country club or something like that. All you need is three, you know, a racket and three balls. You know, most municipalities or towns have a tennis court. It's easy to play, it's affordable. So we wanted to make sure that it was accessible for everyone. And then ultimately, you know, I look at what happens in in sport, and overall, sport is there's a lot a rising cost of sport and delivery of sport in this country. And our structure uh certainly is one around if no barriers to entry. So if we can if someone can't afford to play tennis, we're gonna find a way to make it happen.

Dustin Heise 5:32

Yeah, I love that. We're very connected in accessibility, man. I I love that. Um, we want to continue to to do good work there. We want to continue to learn from you in that. And uh I know our listeners will too. We'll come back to that a little bit. But you know, again, you've been leading in sport for three decades. You've done it through growth, you've done it through change, you've led as a transformational level leader. What has been you know some of the hardest? And what is now, in hindsight, the most valuable lessons you've learned along the way in any one of those forums?

Danny Da Costa 6:03

I think you know, hard things, you know, like you as a leader, you people depend on you, right? So you have to be a really good role model and whatnot. And uh, you know, not everyone wants to uh you know as aligned as you are sometimes. So that's that's a hard part, I think. You know, I think one of the biggest things that I've learned is uh, you know, I've worked in in a variety of different environments. You know, I've worked in small small organizations, which uh where I found I was involved in a lot of the details because we didn't have no capacity. Uh and I'll use examples. You know, when I worked at Squash Canada, we were an organized an organization of three people. Totally. We we were you know hands in the mud.

Dustin Heise 6:39

Hands in everything, it's 100%.

Danny Da Costa 6:40

So, you know, and as and now sort of being in this organization where I've built the culture, and you know, when you first start out, you're you're building and you're you're involved, you're you know, hands-on in the early stages. But as your organization grows and develops, you know, it's very important to not get into the weeds. And uh, so you know, you got to kind of decide what deserves your uh altitude versus what deserves attention, you know. So, and I do that because we have created this great team and I have to prioritize what is important for me and what do I need to be involved in. You know, is it the two or three things that are mission critical? Is it trying to find more money for the tennis center or a new partner? And then, you know, when I have to get in the, you know, to fix something, or if I have to uh get involved in something, then I I kind of dive in, fit, you know, help with my work with my team to fix it and then kind of go back up and in altitude again.

Dustin Heise 7:30

So no, I love that I can relate completely, but I I also wanted to just ask some ongoing growth and learning from you as you know, you've seen the iteration, the evolution of the organization. How have you communicated or what have been some of the mechanisms that you've been able to educate and communicate the change management that was going to be necessary in the organization to continue with the growth? Because you know, you've built it from the ground up. So there's been constant evolution. And, you know, even you know, you're sharing with me like the future vision of the organization and how you're continuing to grow and expand. You know, just how do you approach change management and communicating that within the staff and broader community?

Danny Da Costa 8:11

We try to operate our facility like a like a family, right? So you're it's not uh like a corporation, even though we are becoming a bigger organization. Like we started with one employee, which was me. Now we have over 70 employees. But what we're trying to do, you know, essentially is is as you're leading, as you're growing, you kind of find where people can help and pitch in and you're communicating and you're growing. You know, for some people in our organization that you know they love that because they're it's creating opportunities for them. For others, they they're they feel like maybe we're we're missing some of the uh you know the early days where you're kind of like just mock and pop and kind of easy now. Absolutely. Now we're like, you know, we got more structures in place and we're looking at things and and you know, what we did, you know, maybe five years ago can't be done today because for whatever reason. And so we're putting a lot more uh sort of rigor behind what we're doing. And also, you know, I think it's really helping with on at the board level, you know, it's creating more structure, better governance, you know, more you know, checks and balances and looking at things. And um, and I think that's good in terms of uh communic uh communicating that it's really working closely with our leadership team to work in a way that is is sort of you know more guiding and empowering versus trying to get into the hands or hands-on approach. But uh, you know, I've built a lot of trust with my team, and I think that's one of the things I think they like about uh working for me is that I I don't get in in their work. Uh I try I only help whenever I need wherever it's needed, and I want to make sure that they're successful.

Dustin Heise 9:37

Well, Danny, you mean you've got you know obviously incredible, you know, emotional intelligence. It's easy to connect with you. You can see that, you know, just the way you light up when you talk about your people. And I know you you you clearly love you and care for your people. But if I were to ask you, like, what are you most proud of? Because you've done so much now at this point within the organization and and certainly career-wise, but like is it building facilities, is it hosting the major events, developing athletes, the impact you have in the community? Like, what would you say is kind of some of that, you know, you guys love that you've done this, or you know, that you feel the most fulfilled in certain areas? Like, what is it these days for you?

Danny Da Costa 10:12

I would always say like it's the people, right? It's it's the community, it's the connection that we're building, and you know, it's the shaping leaders and growing them. For me, it's it's it's the community connection, you know, that we're building all, you know, I feel like being a sport leader, you have to, you know, you're a role model for a lot of people and not only your staff, but also in the community. So you want to be viewed positively at all times. So for me, you know, we wouldn't have the other things that we're looking to do. Like, you know, we run world-class events, we've done expansions. We wouldn't have that, you know, without having the community, the people behind us that live and breathe what we're doing and support us every day unconditionally and are patient when, you know, when things take a little longer than they should. But that's to me is the most important thing. Is when when I see how we're growing and how we're viewed by everyone, that's that's really special for me.

Dustin Heise 11:05

When you start to think about and reflect on three decades in the biz and looking ahead, what do you think is the most critical for future sport leaders?

Danny Da Costa 11:15

Sport is in a bit of an inflection point, right? Like it there's always been this there's always this like pressure for high performance. We also want participation to grow, but there's not enough funding to support both. So you almost like have to pick your lane and stay in it. And yes, some organizations can do both, but you know, when you're a smaller organization, you really got to understand what your purpose is and what you're trying to achieve. Uh sports also become like you know, and there's sports and their development at a let's say a national sport organization level, and then they've had to become entertainment businesses as well by hosting international events to drive drive revenue. So you kind of lose you lose your your focus a little bit, right? So you have to ask yourself, are we in an entertainment? Is that the engine, or is the engine the sport? You know, so I think you know, in the future, I think it's more like data-driven decisions for leaders that you're you're having to focus more on AI and analytics and you know, seeing what the return on investment is on decisions that you have to make because you're you're limited on financial aspects. More investment in technology and innovation, obviously. I think one of the biggest things, you know, we talk a lot about safe sports, but you know, we have to invest in our people and human capital, you know, through professional development, uh mentoring, that type of thing. And then I would say, you know, um a big one for me obviously is uh you know, I'm not in a running a national sport organization anymore. I run a club, but you know, more investment, I'd say, in aging infrastructure is something we got to figure out and tackle this. Oh, yeah. I see a lot of issues with access, uh, you know, for athletes to train or clubs or participation, but and more four-season sort of, you know, facilities, year-round facilities where people can play and you know, make it more accessible and equitable for everyone.

Dustin Heise 13:00

I think the uh wisdom in that definitely comes from the experience. And then you're dead right on making sure that we've got the venues in the first place for the people to be able to come and participate and learn to play and learn to participate in the sport, fall in love with sport. And, you know, we've got aging infrastructure all over the country. And, you know, I know that our political leaders understand this, they know this, they're trying to solve for this in real time. And it takes that, you know, each stage of of the pathway, you know, leaders, you know, like yourself that get it at the national sport organization, provincial sport organization, club level, you know, you guys have built an asset that many would look up to in so many ways. You know, how do you keep expanding on that? Or what what has been the the ability for you guys to be so successful and continual growth in the venue itself? How have you known to make sure that's always a key piece on the forefront of your strategy? Um, knowing that there's multiple points of your strategy of like, of course, there's access and courts and and of course there's the athlete component and the coach component, officials, et cetera. I'm gonna kick it back to you on knowing that, well, you've got to have the place to play in the first place.

Danny Da Costa 14:10

100%. You know, the facility is the is the uh place where everything happens, but more importantly, it's the for us, at least it's the programming, right? It's it's all our programming and pathway. You know, when you walk into our tennis center, it's very clear we have a very defined pathway and programs that correspond. All our programs are linked to uh it's very clear in that's this sense, but it's all our programs are are linked to a competitive structure opportunity, whether it's a league or a match play or a tournament uh component. So we can offer something for everyone. We have literally three-year-olds and we have 90-year-olds that play tennis in our facility. We have professional athletes we've developed, NCAA athletes, one of the top junior programs in the country. It starts again with having the right people that understand this, that know how to grow things uh at their appropriate time, and then having a board and the governance model that allows us to be successful and reinvest back into the community once uh, you know, once we realize what we're trying to do. And that's through facility development. Yeah.

Dustin Heise 15:14

Danny, as you look ahead and and you know, where you guys are clearly going to continue to expand. But for you as a as a leader, like I'm gonna ask you some questions around where you see yourself in a year's time. And if you can reflect on, you know, where you see Danny DaCosta and your ability to know that where you are today and then what you'll have achieved or or the organization will have in a year's time and and we'll look back on this, but also, you know, in a five-year time span, where do you see yourself and and the organization over the over that kind of time rise?

Danny Da Costa 15:46

Yeah, sure. Um, you know, I think in a year's time, you know, we'd love to have the shovels in the ground and starting our phase three uh of our development, which we'll see eight more indoor courts, um, uh year-round courts. So it'll take us to 21 indoor courts, which is one of the largest in the country. In five years' time, we want to complete phase by, we want to have all our phases done. Phase four, we'll also add six other courts, uh, bringing our total to 27 courts. It'll be the largest tennis facility in the country. At that point, we you know, it'll be a bit of a watershed moment for us because we will have fully uh fulfilled our vision when we that we set out many years ago. And uh, you know, at that point, we will be able to be, we'll maximize our full potential of our organization, our people, and uh, you know, we will be able to really make it inroads and investments um to you know, improving the delivery of the sport in in Alberta, but also across Canada, because we're very closely tied to Tennis Canada and Tennis Alberta in the develop in the development uh sort of structure.

Dustin Heise 16:46

Well, you know, and the legacy that you're continuing to leave with the community, your people, no doubt, Danny, you're gonna continue to have a massive impact on the sport of tennis and you know, continuing to be a mentor to, you know, people nationwide in the in the sport. But just know that, you know, that that heavy lifting and that kind of work and leadership, um, you know it goes well beyond uh tennis. And and I can't thank you enough for you know the time today that that we've got together. And you know, just know that uh you're continuing to have an impact on on leaders all across this country, and and I can't thank you enough, man. Thank you. Thank you.