Surrounded by a perimeter fence, the courts need their nets put up before they are ready for players.
By Donald Wittkowski
For sports fans, baseball usually dominates in the summer, but in Sea Isle City a new type of “ball” will soon be generating some excitement.
Responding to greater demand for the sport, Sea Isle is building its first two permanent pickleball courts. The site is on West Jersey Avenue, next to the city’s recreation complex on the John F. Kennedy Boulevard entryway into town.
“Due to the ever-growing popularity of pickleball, which is played by younger and older folks alike, we anticipate that the new courts will be put to very good use,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said. “Clearly, pickleball is a well-loved sport that many people enjoy, and the city is very happy to provide this recreation option to the public.”
A grand opening date has not yet been announced, but the city’s Public Works Department is putting some of the final touches on the project. The city’s website says the courts are expected to be ready prior to Labor Day weekend.
Two asphalt pickleball courts will occupy a site on West Jersey Avenue where the city's now-demolished old firehouse once stood.
Custer noted that the nets for the courts will likely be installed within the next few days, possibly by early next week. Perimeter fencing already surrounds the site. Lines were painted recently on the asphalt courts.
Up to this point, Sea Isle’s pickleball players have had limited options. Custer said the city currently sets aside two tennis courts for pickleball games on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Dealy Field athletic complex on Central Avenue between 59
Surrounded by a perimeter fence, the courts need their nets put up before they are ready for players.
Sea Isle now joins other Jersey Shore towns in responding to the growing demand for pickleball, a tennis-like game played on a badminton-sized court using paddles and a plastic ball.
Ocean City recently converted three former artificial-turf tennis courts at 18th Street and Haven Avenue, behind the Ocean City Intermediate School, into 12 pickleball courts that have an asphalt playing surface.
According to the USA Pickleball Association, pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The Sport & Fitness Industry Association estimates there are now 2.5 million people playing pickleball in the U.S. alone, with the sport fast gaining popularity worldwide, too.
The game is played on a court the same size as a doubles badminton court. Players use a modified tennis-style net, wooden or graphite paddles and a lightweight, plastic ball.
Pickleball contains elements of tennis, racquetball, badminton and ping pong, which makes it appealing to all age groups, the USA Pickleball Association says.
