Pickleball players flock to new location

Niagara-on-the-Lake Pickleball Club president John Hindle stood by the stage at Central Community Centre, surveying the six brand new courts full of players both new and experienced, and the hundreds of others waiting for their turn to play.

“This is amazing,” he said of the turnout for Sunday’s open house. “This is the best pickleball location in the region. It’s exciting to see this big turnout.”

In terms of membership, currently at 449 members and growing as of Sunday afternoon, the NOTL club is the biggest in Niagara. With the new courts now open, Hindle expects that number to climb to 500 by the end of the year. 

And with six courts at Central and another three at the NOTL Community Centre, the club now has enough space to accommodate everyone happily. 

“This has been in the works for three years,” Hindle said of the move to Central. “Even before it opened. And it’s spectacular. The high ceilings are great for lobbing, there are no windows on the back wall so there’s no glare, and the lines are painted the perfect colour.”

Those lines were just laid down last Friday. The choice of blue paint on the floor was deliberate, as Hindle explained that the red and green chosen in other locations around the region can be difficult especially for about 12 percent of men to see. 

Central’s Grant McArthur said about 50 members of the Central Community Church congregation returned after Sunday’s service to check out the action. 

“I was just talking to someone who came to see what it was all about,” McArthur told The Local. “They ended up playing with somebody from the club, who in turn asked them what this building was all about, and they told them about the church. So they made a connection both ways.” 

Hindle also saw the benefits of the two communities coming together in one space. 

“We have two audiences here today,” he said.”The club members are eager to check out the new location, and we have a big turnout from Central. They’re here to see what’s going on at their building. So many new members are trying the game out for the first time. It’s the perfect joining of two exemplary organizations.”

The state-of-the-art flooring is another bonus of the new courts at Central. The contrast between the concrete floor at Virgil’s Centennial Arena, where the club members played out of this past spring and summer, is clearly evident. 

“You can really feel the difference,” said Dr. Francois Viviers, a club member. “This is so much easier on your knees. It’s very forgiving.”

Vika Goodale and Maria Mangiacasale were playing a game with Greg and Joanne Marandin. The Marandins were first-timers from St. Davids. 

“This is really close to home,” Greg said Sunday. “We were on a wait list, so it’s great that they opened this place up. This is a great facility, and the game is a lot of fun. It’s easy on the old knees.”

Judy Falardeau of St. Catharines was invited by a friend who is a member of the club. She usually plays pickleball at various locations in the Garden City. 

“I’m impressed with this facility,” she told The Local. “It’s really nice.”

At 21 years old, Zane Clausen, the Junior A Niagara Predators’ number one goalie, was one of the younger players checking out the new courts at Central. 

“It’s a growing sport,” said Clausen. “It’s fun to be out here hanging out with all sorts of different people of all ages. When I’m not training I can swing over here, get a little sweat on and have some fun. Hopefully I can convince some of the guys to come over and play some pickleball with me.”

Though the club has not yet decided if the NOTL Pickleball Classic, which was held this past spring at both arenas in Virgil, will return for 2024, Hindle said if it does, they will consider using the new venue for some of the games. 

“We have other events that we’re planning,” added Hindle. “We have two of our pros who play in the professional league. This would be an ideal venue for another specialty session like the one we had to start last year’s tournament. We can put 300 fans up top to see the professional players.”

And Hindle is clearly pleased that the new nets and barriers that the club purchased for the tournament can now be put to great use daily at the new courts.

From McArthur’s perspective, it’s gratifying to add another user group to the slate of activities taking place at Central Community Centre. 

“We have basketball, volleyball, dance, and now pickleball,” McArthur said. “And we have functions here in the evenings, too. This is what this building is for. You can’t have empty buildings. We’re really focusing on making sure this place is used as much as possible.”

And he says he's extremely grateful to Hindle and the club for their patience in waiting for the dream to become a reality.

Meanwhile, the club holds onto hope that they will soon have an outdoor facility to use. The two-year court-imposed ban on the open-air courts in Virgil lapses on June 20. 

“We continue to talk to the town,” Hindle confirmed. “We don’t know what the legal repercussions would be of us going back on there. The good news is they haven’t given the facility to anyone else yet. And we continue to wait to see what is happening with Parks Canada and the renovations to the Queenston Heights courts.”

The new courts at Central Community Centre are open 10:00 am until 2:00 pm Monday to Friday. Visit the club’s website at https://sites.google.com/view/notlpickleball-ca/ for information on membership and court bookings.