New addition to Lacasse Park helping to satisfy demand for pickleball

After numerous phone calls and hard work the Tecumseh Pickleball Association saw their dream come true. "Look at it folks. Ten new pickleball courts in the heart of Tecumseh," said mayor Gary McNamara.

The new Zekelman Pickleball Complex at Lacasse Park was unveiled today, to the joy of the Tecumseh Pickleball Association.

"I haven’t slept in a week," said Malinda Hebert, president of the club. "The excitement. This dream coming true. It's been overwhelming."

The celebration began early Thursday morning with newcomers learning the game. "I love it," said Tricia Hutnik.

"It's something social. Keeps you active. Keeps you moving. Seems like an easy going crowd."

Harold Chasse has played racquet sports and decided to add pickleball to his game. "It’s new to me. Looks like fun. I can’t wait to try it. Close to home and it's outside."

The outdoor courts came in at a cost of around $750,000 dollars. The complex affirmed the continued growth of the game in our region.

"You can’t stop pickleball," said Daphne Reid, Pickleball Ontario treasurer.

In five short years the Tecumseh Pickleball association went from zero to over 400 members. "I envision now six or eight hundred," said mayor Gary McNamara. "We’re gonna have opportunities for sports tourism. It’s a tremendous opportunity economically for the community but also adding recreational facilities that is transgenerational."

The complex will help offset the high demand for court time. "In the last month we've taught well over a hundred people. Another thirty are starting Monday night and there's more than 25 official on the waitlist and forty people who haven't responded to the email yet so it's out of control growing," said Jo-Anne Neilson, VP of the Tecumseh Association.

Pickleball Canada estimates the number of players has almost tripled from about 350-thousand in 2020.

"Pickleball Canada has 37,000 members and in Ontario, we have over seven-thousand that are members of Pickleball Ontario. Of course there are a lot more actual players," said Reid.

Terry Morais is on the board of the Tecumseh association and has played in over a hundred tournaments in Canada and the United States. He says there will now be more opportunities to teach, play games and host tournaments.