It’s just a matter of time before there are long wait times and conflicts over the use of tennis courts at Central Park, said the head of the Victoria Regional Pickleball Association.
With pickleball players from James Bay and Fairfield now banned from playing at James Bay’s Todd Park because of noise complaints, and the City of Victoria relocating pickleball group bookings to Central Park, Connie McCann said she’s anticipating trouble.
“There will be conflict with tennis, I know that already,” said McCann, who was fresh from a game at the Central Park courts. “There’s tennis players down there, so we have to try and figure out how to share it. But the tennis players don’t know that many of us have block bookings.”
Those bookings are paid for in advance with the city, which then sets aside playing time on the courts.
“The group I play with has the courts booked from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and tennis players don’t even know that, so they’re very surprised when they come and we say: ‘No, this is our court,’ ” she said. “Without dedicated courts, it’s always like that.”
McCann said the popularity of pickleball means Central’s courts will now be booked solid, leaving recreational players even fewer places to drop in for a game.
The City of Victoria has undertaken to shift more than 1,000 hours of pickleball bookings from Todd Park to Central, after people living near the James Bay park complained about noise.
City of Victoria spokesman Bill Eisenhauer said six of the seven Todd Park pickleball groups have already made the transition to Central. “Pickleball players have used the Central Park courts since last summer and we are not aware of any new issues arising,” he said, adding the city acknowledges the high demand for the game in the region and the health benefits for those who play.
Eisenhauer said the courts in Central Park are nearly three times farther from homes than the courts in Todd Park, which is expected to “support a more peaceful co-existence.”
But McCann said until dedicated courts are established, conflicts over noise will continue to be a problem as the popularity of pickleball takes off, spurred on by people looking for outdoor activities during the pandemic.
The sport reportedly grew by 30 per cent over the past three years and McCann said her own association now has 400 members, with a surge since recent publicity about Todd Park.
Eisenhauer said at least six pickleball courts will be part of the next phase of improvements to Topaz Park.
“The plan for Topaz Park will significantly increase the number of high-quality courts and minimize noise impacts to other residents,” he said, noting the design process will begin this year and construction will begin in 2023.
McCann said that is promising, but she also noted community groups have started to come forward that are interested in establishing new dedicated courts for pickleball in the city.
“I have gotten amazing feedback from a couple of community centres who have said they want me to come and see their space,” she said. “Those have been remarkable and we’re deeply appreciative.”
However, McCann said one of the recurring themes is the lack of funding to establish new courts in a city where land is incredibly expensive.
“I’m always working for new courts, but I know the reality is there has to be money in a budget to get the courts built,” she said.
“The association is willing to put some money up towards nets or sound barriers or wind barriers. We’ll step up to the plate and put some money in, but without money from councils, we can’t buy land.”
