Salt Lake County soon could host national pickleball tournaments on more than 50 courts if a state lawmaker gets his way.
Sen. Daniel McCay, R-Riverton, recently presented his vision to the Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee, noting how pickleball’s popularity proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. participation jumped by 21.3% between 2019 and 2020, growing to 4.2 million players, according to the USA Pickleball Association.
“People [have] found the sport,” McCay told the committee. “It’s projected that in the next 10 years, there will be over 20 million people playing.”
The nearly 60-year-old sport blends pingpong, tennis and badminton. In recent years, it has lured some celebrity enthusiasts, including Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
McCay noted the Pro Pickleball Association, or PPA, is based in Draper and organizes tournaments for some of the country’s best players. But Utah is “falling behind” states such as Florida and Arizona in terms of creating venues that can stage those high-profile events.
(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) Multiple pickleball courts are located at Wardle Fields Regional Park in Bluffdale on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022.
“The PPA had a tournament this last weekend in Mesa, Arizona,” the senator said. “They estimated over 15,000 people were in town just for that one event.”
St. George is home to the 24-court Little Valley Pickleball Complex, which McCay called “world class.”
“I actually used to go there a lot for golf,” he said. “Now I find I spend more time doing pickleball.”
His proposal for Salt Lake County, however, would be more than twice as big as Little Valley, with a projected cost of $100,000 per court for a total appropriation of $5 million.
So far, he is eyeing Wardle Fields Regional Park in Bluffdale as a potential venue, which already has 16 courts.
He also served up the future Bingham Creek Regional Park in South Jordan as an option. The site is a former 160-acre gravel pit that the county is converting into bike trails, playgrounds and sports fields.
McCay said construction of a national pickleball tournament site could bring economic development to the county, including more restaurants and hotels.
County is mostly game
(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bingham Creek Regional Park is pictured in South Jordan on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022.
While state funds would build the courts, if approved by the Legislature, Salt Lake County would likely foot the bill for ongoing maintenance. At a work session Tuesday, the Salt Lake County Council and Mayor Jenny Wilson had split stances on the proposal.
“We’ve got to make sure,” Wilson said, “that the scale of the project aligns with our recreation needs and use. ... You don’t want to overbuild pickleball at the expense of other use of our parks.”
Asked for his thoughts on the matter, County Parks and Recreation Director Martin Jensen said his division would “love” to see millions in state funds dedicated to pickleball courts.
“It’s a gracious potential ... contribution,” he said, “towards recreation in Salt Lake County.”
But he echoed the mayor’s concerns.
“We don’t want to overwhelm one park,” Jensen said, “and impact a neighborhood.”
Council member Ann Granato said pickleball playing can be a nuisance for county residents living near courts.
“It’s incredibly noisy,” she said. “We need to be careful where it goes.”
Council member Steve DeBry volleyed back that the county could be methodical in its planning for the courts, adding that there is “enormous demand” for them.
“I don’t see any downsides to it,” DeBry said.
Easy to play
(Rachel Rydalch | The Salt Lake Tribune) People play pickleball at Wardle Fields Regional Park in Bluffdale on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022.
Ultimately, the council voted 7-2 to put forward its support of the potential $5 million appropriation, with members Dea Theodore and David Alvord rejecting the proposal. Theodore said she would prefer to see public funds earmarked for existing facilities, while Alvord said cities should make the call on what recreation venues are built in their neighborhoods.
Chair Laurie Stringham, who served on Kearns’ Oquirrh Recreation and Parks District board for many years before being elected to the County Council, applauded pickleball as a sport that is accessible to a range of residents.
“All age groups ... can literally pick up the racket,” she said, “and become somewhat proficient in a short amount of time.”
Stringham said the county could consider placing the 50 proposed courts in various locations, instead of a single venue, and still host tournaments.
“[Pickleball] is an interesting trend we’ve seen,” she said, “but it doesn’t look like it’s one that’s going away.”
