Fast-growing pickleball clubs short on space pitch new facilities in the Edmonton region

As pickleball's popularity soars in Alberta, some clubs in the Edmonton region say they desperately need more outdoor courts but can't afford to build them on their own.

Pickleball is a rapidly growing racket sport similar to tennis but played on smaller courts. 

In 2016, according to statistics from Pickleball Alberta, there was one club in the province and 138 members. Now there are dozens of clubs and more than 10,000 members. 

Pickleball players say the sport could be growing even faster but a court shortage keeps more people from playing, especially in the warmer months.

Barbara Mullen, president of the Strathcona County Pickleball Association (SCPA), presented a pitch for a new 20-court facility in Sherwood Park to a Strathcona County committee on Tuesday. 

The club says demand from its members, schools and residents far exceeds availability at the Sherwood Heights Pickleball Courts, which has eight outdoor courts built in 2017. There are 15 other public courts in the region, but most lack washrooms and no location has enough courts to host tournaments.

Mullen told CBC News in an interview before the meeting that her club's programs often fill up online each night within two minutes. And last year, the SCPA capped membership at 567 because of limited court availability.

"With growing 30 per cent each year, we could very much go as high as 900, 1,000 members if we had the courts to accommodate them," Mullen said.

Mullen said with the county's support and provincial grants, the club would contribute $150,000 toward a new $2.5-million facility, where 30 per cent of courts would be public.

Cate Helgeson, a director and lead captain with the SCPA who started playing pickleball in 2022, said the current court situation