More pickleball courts coming to Lethbridge

By Nicholas Allen - for the Lethbridge Herald on May 14, 2022.

Herald file photo Russ Campbell and Bill Loran take on Vern Dundas and Steve Meszaros in a game of pickleball at Legacy Park.

The City of Lethbridge has approved a project that will expand and improve current pickleball courts.
The project will see an additional six courts added at Legacy Park along with wind mitigation measures and a viewing area for the community during events or games as part of the Capital Improvement Program spanning from 2022 to 2031.
General Manager of Recreation and Culture at the City of Lethbridge Robin Harper explained the decision to increase the number of courts was due to an increase in demand. He said pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in North America and they are seeing that locally.
During initial planning for the project, the possibility of repurposing the existing tennis courts into pickleball courts to save money was brought up, according to Harper.
“We went to our engagement piece where we heard from both sides, pickleball and the tennis community, then we presented that information to city council,” said Harper.
After consulting with a committee on the subject it was recommended to City Council to move ahead with the original plan, which was to build six new pickleball courts and leave the tennis courts alone.
“We get the second pickleball courts, but we don’t affect the tennis community,” said Harper.
This park project will see the 12 pickleball courts get a different surface as well, said Harper, which will allow tournaments or events to be played on them.
“Right now, they don’t have enough courts to have events or tournaments on and it doesn’t have the right surface so that this will allow more of an ability for the community to access pickleball,” he said.
An agreement for use and access to the courts will be developed through discussions with the Lethbridge Pickleball Club to ensure access to both the Club and the public. This agreement will change after the expansion takes place according to Harper.
“With the addition of the six new courts, that agreement will be amended to include those six new courts in that same location,” said Harper. “It was an opportunity to partner with the local association to provide some services to those courts.”
The Club will be responsible to coordinate and pay for operating expenses, including caretaking, grounds maintenance, utilities and tenant insurance. Harper said the benefits to the club are substantial as it will provide a central location for their club to participate in and will also provide them the ability to host larger tournaments which “at the end of the day is a benefit to the community as well.”
He said there is a large demand for more space to be able to participate in pickleball.
“All ages can play pickleball. So, it’s really attractive in that respect,” said Harper. “I think it really is an opportunity to increase physical activity and opportunities for people to be able to participate in a recreational physical activity.”
According to information on the Capital Improvement Program for this project, in 2019 Canada had a total of 75,000 pickleball players, with Alberta having the highest number of registered players. Currently, the Lethbridge region has nearly 400 pickleball players.
For more information on pickleball or to register for the Lethbridge Pickleball Club visit pickleballalberta.org.