New pickleball courts coming to Binghamton

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Six new pickleball courts are being installed in a Binghamton park to try and keep up with demand for the fastest growing sport in America.

The new Pickleball courts are going in at Webster Street Park on the South side and replacing two underused tennis courts.

The sport has exploded in popularity all around the country. Pickle ball is a game similar to tennis, where players use paddles to hit a plastic ball back and forth over a net.

Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham says his office gets calls all the time, from people asking for more space to play pickleball.

“There’s simply not enough pickle ball courts in our area for the number of players that we have in Binghamton. So, these upgrades will assist with that, and it’s not the end. We’re going to be looking at additional pickle ball court upgrades throughout city parks. This is going to be the most substantial with six new courts,” said Kraham.

Binghamton has 16 pickleball courts, including some that are used for tennis as well.

Kraham says the construction should only take about 10 days, but the courts should be open by early October.

The cost of the project is around $135,000 through the city’s general fund.

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