Sarnia-area pickleball players have a new club to call home.
Sarnia-area pickleball players have a new club to call home.
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The Sarnia-Lambton Pickleball Club began signing up members this month through the Pickleball Ontario website, pickleballontario.organd had 225 on the rolls Wednesday.
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“Starting from zero, it’s going really good,” said interim club president Mike Van Hemmen.
The sport, described as a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis, has been growing in popularity in Lambton and elsewhere.
More than one million Canadians play the sport, according to a survey this year for Pickleball Canada.
Communities in the Sarnia area have been adding courts in recent years, including a six-court pickleball “hub” that opened in 2019 at Blackwell Park.
Other outdoor courts have been added in the city and other Lambton communities, and a group began working a year ago to form a club under Pickleball Ontario.
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It’s stated aim is to be “Lambton County’s prime pickleball club focusing on the development of the overall game and enjoyment of pickleball for residents of Lambton County of all ages.”
Mike Barron, a club director, said he began playing pickleball in spring 2022 and had “a little stint with Pickleball Ontario at the board level” when Van Hemmen reached out about creating a group for the Sarnia area, which already had a roughly 1,000- member Facebook group.
“Pickleball is growing by leaps and bounds in North America and we have lots of people playing in Sarnia-Lambton,” Barron said.
“We just think a club would be able to help provide a structure, grow the game, make it fun, be inclusive,” he said. “This game can be played by a seven-year-old and a 71-year-old.”
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Currently, the club has use of four temporary courts set up in a greenhouse at DeGroot’s Nurseries in Sarnia for a limited time. Club members can book times online for a fee. DeGroot’s has set aside two other courts for public bookings.
There are already plans for a Pickleball Canada-sanctioned tournament in Sarnia in May and other local club initiatives, including a community food drive it has been running at the DeGroot’s courts.
“We can do a lot of different things,” Barron said, including seeking grants, obtaining sponsorships, raising money and working with municipalities.
He cited a Tecumseh club’s work with its municipality to open new courts as an example.
Barron said there are about 19 outdoor pickleball courts in Sarnia and talk of adding more. “A club would be able to help with that process,” he said.
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Also, indoor courts for winter play are limited and a club could help establish a permanent indoor facility, Barron said.
The club and DeGroot’s are offering Family Fun open play dates for a fee at two greenhouse courts through the holidays.
“We are encouraging families to come out with their children and enjoy some holiday pickleball,” Barron said. Club members will be there to help anyone who hasn’t played before, he said.
For more about the club, email [email protected]. For more on the DeGroot’s courts, visit degroots.ca.
Family Fun Open Play
Sarnia-Lambton Pickleball Club and DeGroot’s Nurseries are offering Family Fun open play dates for a fee at two greenhouse courts at the nursery at 1840 London Line through the holidays:
2023
- Dec. 27, 3 to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 28, 9 to 11 am
- Dec. 29, 3 to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 30, 9 to 11 a.m.
2024
- Jan. 2.9 to 11 a.m.
- Jan. 3.3 to 5 p.m.
- Jan. 4.9 to 11 a.m.
- Jan. 5.3 to 5 p.m.
- Jan. 6.9 to 11 a.m.
More info: E-mail [email protected]
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