Pickleball players seek dedicated courts for growing sport

The popularity of pickleball is growing in Little Falls, and a group of residents would like to see the availability of pickleball courts grow with it.

During the public forum of the June 17 City Council workshop, Pauline Kasner represented a group of pickleball enthusiasts and advocated for converting some of the Eighth Street tennis courts in Little Falls to dedicated pickleball courts.

Kasner cited the growing popularity and player base of pickleball, as well as the financial benefits more pickleball courts could bring to the city She requested that six of the Eighth Street tennis courts be converted for pickleball use.

Kasner noted she plays pickleball regularly on the Eighth Street courts and has never seen anyone playing tennis there. Tennis is a declining sport, she said, noting that Little Falls High School no longer fields a boys tennis team. The school does, however, have a girls tennis team. The men’s and women’s tennis leagues in Little Falls are

no longer active due to the decline of the sport, Kasner said.

At the same time, pickleball is growing rapidly, and is being taught in local schools, including the high school and the local parochial school, Kasner said.

“Pickleball is now the fastest growing sport in America for the third year running,” Kasner said.

Other cities are adding more dedicated pickleball courts or renovating existing tennis courts for pickleball use, she said.

Specifically, Kasner cited Isle, Walker, Crosslake, Waconia, Zimmerman, Center City, Crosby, Iron Junction, Cambridge, Alexandria, Sauk Rapids, and Sartell as cities in the region that have expanded pickleball offerings.

Little Falls should be among those citities, she suggested.

“Little Falls currently has over 50 pickleball players and the number is growing rapidly. Having dedicated courts would attract more players to the city,” Kasner said.

And those players will spend money in Little Falls, she said.

“People from surrounding areas like Pierz, Fort Ripley, and Upsala currently come to Little Falls to play pickleball, spending money in the city by buying groceries, eating out, and visiting hardware stores,” Kasner said.

“Keeping pickleball as a dedicated sport would keep people coming to Little Falls instead of going to other cities that already have dedicated sports courts,” she added.

Expanding pickleball court offerings would provide an activity for teenagers, young adults and older adults, as most of the city’s activities are currently focused on children, Kasner added.

And expanded pickleball courts could also have a tourism aspect.

“Many people choose vacation destinations based on whether they offer pickleball courts, so having dedicated courts could financially benefit Little Falls in that way,” Kasner concluded.

Ron Miller also spoke on behalf of pickleball.

“I play pickleball and farm,” said Miller, who lives outside the city limits on 160th Avenue.

He expressed being very much in favor of having a purely-dedicated pickleball court and not a mixed tennis/pickleball court. He appreciated the city council taking a look at dedicating the court solely for pickleball use.

“I look forward to playing on it down the road,” Miller said.

Currently, in the city of Little Falls, there are two pickleball courts on the west side of the City, on the north side of Lincoln School. These two courts are multipurpose and are striped for two tennis courts or two pickleball courts, City Engineer and Public Works Director Greg Kimman said.