Popular Victoria pickleball court closing due to noise complaints

Pickleball players will soon be down a space to play as the City of Victoria closes a mixed-use court at Todd Park.

Starting April 1, pickleball players will no longer be able to use the tennis court at Todd Park, which had pickleball lines painted on it back in 2018.

The city says it's shutting down the court to pickleball players due to a growing number of noise complaints from nearby residents, and as the court sees an exponential increase in usage.

NOT UP TO STANDARDS

According to city spokesperson Bill Eisenhauer, it's currently industry standard to have pickleball courts be at least 50 metres away from the nearest home due to the amount of sound the rackets and balls make.

However, those standards were not in place when the pickleball lines were added to the court in Todd Park in 2018, just 17 metres from the nearest homes.

The city also says it's heard from both tennis players and pickleball players that they prefer dedicated courts for just one sport or the other.

The Victoria Regional Pickleball Association, however, says the city did not provide users with enough of a notice that the court was closing, and provided no opportunity for pickleball players to have their say.

"We're concerned that we're losing a space when demand is high," said Connie McCann, president of the Victoria Regional Pickleball Association (VRPA).

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH

With a growing number of pickleball players emerging in the city, particularly since the pandemic began, it's hard to find court time for pickleball players.

McCann says pickleball popularity has had a meteoric rise since the pandemic began, and the loss of even one pickleball court will lengthen wait times for courts in the city.

According to Eisenhauer, pickleball permit use at Todd Park alone grew from 0 hours in 2018, to 169.5 hours in 2020, to a whopping 1,041 hours in 2021.

With the Todd Park court closing to pickleball players in April, the city says players are encouraged to use the pickleball court at Central Park.

The move comes as a blow to users in the James Bay area, according to McCann. She says that the players there are at least "100 strong" and considered the court a "neighbourhood play space," with users often walking or cycling to the court.

The city says it's working on creating a "future pickleball hub" in Victoria as the sport grows in popularity, and McCann says she hopes the development will come with feedback from the community.

The Victoria Regional Pickleball Association adds that it would like to see a large space with eight to 12 courts available for pickleball so that the region can host tournaments.

There are currently four outdoor pickleball courts in Victoria at Central Park, Oaklands Park, Barnard Park, and Franklin Green.

The city says it plans to add a set of pickleball courts to Topaz Park during the next phase of its upgrades, and is working with stakeholders to expand pickleball accessibility in the future.