Pickleball is much older than you might think, and it’s all the rage in Mississauga

It’s a widely popular sport these days with a funny name and, surprisingly to many, a long history.

Pickleball, a sporting relative of badminton and tennis invented in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in 1965, has only recently taken Mississauga — and North America — by storm.

In response, the City of Mississauga has in the past several years hopped on board the craze and attempted to make the racket sport more widely available to the growing number of players in Canada’s seventh-largest city.

Pickleball, among the fastest-growing sports and activities in both Canada and the U.S., is also gaining popularity on the international scene. It’s played, often at a dynamic pace, using a wiffle ball on a badminton-size court with a racket larger and more durable than a ping pong paddle.

And people of all ages have been flocking to it.

In the past year or so, Mississauga officials have painted pickleball lines on many of the city’s outdoor public tennis courts to accommodate those who want to play.

And they’ll continue to do so in the short term while also looking for longer-term options to meet the needs of the city’s growing number of pickleball lovers.

Despite a sometimes not-very-good-natured rivalry between new pickleball players and those in the city who’ve been playing tennis for many years, the shared-facility concept, city officials have said, seems to be working.

84 outdoor courts across Mississauga

And with growing pains not unexpected, several city councillors who’ve received complaints from residents that the pickleballers make too much noise on the outdoor courts have said they’re confident such relatively minor problems can be overcome.

Mississauga currently provides its growing pickleball community with 84 outdoor courts in city parks — 58 of the courts at public facilities shared with tennis, 18 at clubs and eight dedicated pickleball courts. Drop-in play at any of the outdoor public courts is free of charge.

As for indoor facilities, pickleball is offered at 10 community centres in the city and options include drop-in sessions, registered programs and classes for beginners and intermediate players.

Mississauga officials say people of all ages are showing an interest in pickleball. (Photo: City of Mississauga)

Looking ahead, city officials told insauga.com that over the next two years an additional nine shared pickleball courts and 11 new dedicated courts are expected to be built at parks across Mississauga.

“In addition to this, a site for tournament play is currently under review,” they added.

In short, the city says it’s answering the call as best it can in the face of greatly increasing demand. Officials note it’s also incumbent upon them to provide adequate facilities from a health and wellness perspective.

Pickleball has “captured the hearts” of many in Mississauga

“The sport has captured the hearts of our community and, as a city, we’re committed to supporting the growth of the sport,” Kristina Zietsma, Mississauga’s director of recreation and culture, told insauga.com. “We recognize that pickleball has the potential to bring people together, promote physical activity and enhance the quality of life for Mississauga residents.”

She added the effort to “broaden pickleball offerings, including improving and expanding programs and locations,” is a priority.

One such new location is a six-court domed tennis and pickleball facility that’ll offer year-round play when it opens later in 2024 in Mississauga’s west end.

Officials broke ground earlier this spring for the $4.3-million Mississauga Premier Racquet Club, to be located at Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Mattamy Sports Park.

The first public outdoor pickleball courts in Mississauga were set up at Mississauga Valley Park in 2016. (Photo: City of Mississauga)

Adding to the growing presence and profile of pickleball in Mississauga is that the city will play host this weekend, for the second time, to the Canadian National Pickleball League finals.

Taking place this Saturday and Sunday at One Health Clubs, on Cliff Road, the tournament features Canada’s top 32 pickleball players vying for the national title.

Action runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days and organizers expect as many as 350 spectators each day.

“This event promises to be a fantastic opportunity for our community to come together and enjoy some thrilling sportsmanship,” organizers wrote in a letter to city officials.

Last year’s Canadian National Pickleball League finals were held at the same venue in the fall.

Fastest-growing sport in U.S. 2021 to 2023

Pickleball was invented nearly 60 years ago, as a children’s backyard game, on Bainbridge Island, in the state of Washington. In 2022, it was named the state’s official sport.

Its popularity was largely confined to the Pacific Northwest for many decades before gradually gaining more traction in other states and then taking a huge leap elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada the past three or four years.

The Sports and Fitness Industry Association in the U.S. named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

By many accounts, it’s the same case in Canada.

According to Pickleball Canada, 11 per cent of Canadian households as of January 2023 reported at lease one family member plays the sport at least once a month. That means about 1.4 million Canadians are playing at least once every four weeks, with more than half of them taking to the pickleball courts each week or even more often than that.

In January 2022, by comparison, it was estimated that just over one million Canadians were playing the sport at that time.

Pickleball Canada noted that while the sport remains especially popular among older adults, the overall growth in numbers is mostly due to increased participation in the group of younger adults aged 18 to 34.

36.5 million players in U.S. and growing

Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads, a U.S.-based website that caters to all things pickleball and the people across North America — and the world — who love the sport, told insauga.com he and his colleagues south of the border “have been watching the sport grow like crazy in Mississauga.”

Among other things, the website helps interested players across the U.S. and Canada find matches, tournaments and leagues to join in their areas.

“We’re seeing new courts being built all over. Ontario Racquet Club (in Mississauga) now has six dedicated courts and Frank McKechnie Community Centre has four,” said Mackie off the top of his head.

The Pickleheads website notes that across the United States some 36.5 million people, only a couple million shy of Canada’s population, count themselves as pickleball players, according to 2022 numbers from the Association of Pickleball Professionals.

And there are no signs — at least not yet — those numbers are doing anything but growing, Mackie suggests.

“The sport is sneakily addictive. Easy to learn, hard to master. Slow, then fast. Casual, yet competitive,” Mackie and his colleagues say on their website. “But what makes pickleball so special is that it brings people together — to sweat, to laugh and to compete. We all need more of that.”