With the rapid growth of interest in Pickleball, the Osoyoos Pickleball Association (OPA) is seeking better courts and a new facility. At the council meeting on Feb. 23, OPA presented a request to build a pickleball indoor facility and revamp the existing outdoor courts.
The limited facilities for pickleball players currently in Osoyoos which is outpaced by interest in the sport from locals and visitors, according to Brian Bagnall president of Osoyoos Pickleball Club.
Current issues in the existing courts include cracking on the court floor, and drainage problems from the nearby dog park that runs onto the courts. The courts also need to be reoriented to be facing north/south instead of east/west. The current orientation makes it so that the morning and evening sun is striking the eyes of the players, making it hard to play, said Bagnall.
In addition to repairing the outdoor courts, OPA is also requesting an indoor pickleball facility with eight courts, and a second building to function as a multi-purpose space that could accommodate tennis, indoor shuffleboard, volleyball, wheelchair tennis, etc.
The club currently has 225 members (with more drop-ins) that regularly play at the outdoor pickleball courts by the golf course. There are also indoor courts at the Sonora Community Centre, however, Bagnall explains that with the amount of other activities going on, time slots are often limited. Similarly, he said the courts available at Desert Park also have limited access.
Bagnall also suggests that a growth of pickleball in Osoyoos could be a pull for tourism in town.
“We’ve noticed here that there’s a lot of people from all over the country that can’t go south and are coming here because we are a bit warmer than everywhere else across the country,” said Bagnall, adding that many visiting players, either beginners or novice, are calling the club with interest to play.
There are a number of pickleball facilities in Oliver, Penticton, Peachland, Vernon and Kelowna, according to Bagnall, which are all growing and could potentially impact tourism in Osoyoos.
“They’re trying to get [courts] indoors and outdoors…so we are in competition with them by being a destination resort area. We really need to offer that or we will lose some people to them,” said Bagnall.
“We certainly know that pickleball players in the town of Osoyoos, and it sounds like everywhere, are super keen and they are certainly wanting to have more time and we totally appreciate that,” said Mayor Sue McKortoff.
“I’m definitely a big booster for multi-purpose building in our community. I’d like to see it four times the size of your presentation, personally,” said Councillor Jim King.
The town council staff still need to formally look through the request by OPA and discuss it in a future meeting before they make a decision.
