“New York’s Pickleball Craze: Courts Established in Central Park and Growing Popularity”

New York is getting back to pickleball. This sport, halfway between tennis and badminton, has already won over many fans and taken over many places in the Big Apple. This year, it is moving up a gear by establishing itself in… Central Park.

Until October, 14 courts located in the heart of the green lung of the city, with a view of the surrounding buildings, are in fact accessible by reservation on the CityPickle site. They provide the equivalent of 196 hours of playtime every day. Good business for the organizers: the rates range from $80/h (outside peak hours) to $120/h (peak hours). CityPickle will also be offering racquet rentals ($6 each), but players are encouraged to bring their own.

The advantage of reserving one of these courts is to be certain of being able to have a professional surface, without any defect, presenting all the characteristics of a professional court. Because yes, pickleball is a professional sport and the MLP (Major League Pickleball), which brings together 24 teams, plans to organize meetings there during the summer.

A growing sport

“Research shows that at least 5 million people currently play pickleball on a regular basis, notes Anne Worcester, strategic advisor at Major League Pickleball. But if we look at the queries in the search bars on the internet, we can rather estimate this figure at 8 million. If we assume a 30% increase in players each year, there will be 40 million players by 2030. Which would be double that of any other sport today in America. »

In New York, the practice first developed in a somewhat anarchic manner, on basketball courts, slightly out of the way parking lots or play areas. Under the impetus of several actors, the areas specially thoughts for pickleball are multiplying. Life Time, the nation’s largest pickleball court owner and operator through its network of luxury sports country clubs, recently opened its first permanent indoor pickleball courts in Manhattan, located at Life Time Sky (Midtown West, 605W 42nd St).

Lebron James investor

The group intends to surf on the growing popularity of this sport which brings generations together. “It’s the easiest sport to learn, explains Anne Worcester. The court is smaller than for tennis, so it requires a lot more finesse and touch, and less power. This is one of the reasons why pickleball appeals to players of all ages and skill levels: it’s nearly impossible to play on the power to pass your opponent like in other racquet sports. It’s all about touch, finesse and strategic play. »

A popularity that has prompted personalities to invest financially in this sport, such as Lebron James and other basketball players. “Our celebrity owners are not just names, they are part of strategic groups that will bring a certain expertise to our sport”hopes Anne Worcester, who will support the development of the MLP via certain new features, in particular a unique promotion-relegation system in American professional sports.