Richmond cuts ribbon on new pickleball facility

Richmond is one of the newest cities to join America’s pickleball craze. City officials and community athletes held a ribbon cutting for six new courts Tuesday afternoon.

The first games of pickleball at the new facility happened shortly after. City officials say they’ve been working on the project for around one year.

City Parks and Recreation Board Vice Chair Dan McBride says they were built to accommodate the growing sport.

“We have these six courts that are open now. We have 12 more that are coming when the new park at the Richmond Sports Complex opens, and those 12 courts will also have lights,” McBride said. “And who knows, between now and then, we may even need more courts, because pickleball is still growing.”

Richmond resident Kent Miller requested the city’s parks department construct the courts a year ago. He says the sport is appealing because of its accessibility.

“I'm sort of a former tennis player, so this is a lot like tennis without the running,” Miller said. “It's easier to control. A lot of people played ping pong when they were younger, and this is a lot like it in a way, except you get to move some.”

The U.S. Tennis Association says 10 percent of America’s tennis courts have been converted for pickleball, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

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