Looking for a unique solution to a common problem among smaller pickleball clubs who cannot yet justify owning their own facility, Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC), located in Lexington, Massachusetts, has taken a ‘collective-of-courts’ approach, offering their members access to multiple community courts throughout the Lexington area. The club began during the pandemic in 2020 when a “number of [players] realized that there was a need to organize play, events, and rally support to get more space and resources for the sport in Lexington, MA,” says Kim McCormick, an LPC Board Member and their Communications Lead. In order to have options for fundraising, the initial board members knew they would need to formalize the club in some way, ultimately choosing to become a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
Demand for play grew quickly and the club worked vigorously to establish relationships within the town that would create opportunities for members to play throughout the community. The LPC team sought to find both “spaces and times to play,” which they found “very challenging due to the high demand for the robust recreation offerings in Lexington.” Through meeting with town recreation leaders, LPC was able to identify opportunities for pickleball programming that could be offered in school buildings. Further, LPC established a relationship with the Lexington Recreation Committee, allowing them to use their online registration system to reserve local public courts. While many of the courts are tennis courts that require players to bring their own nets and tape lines to play, some public courts now have pickleball markings to accommodate for the growing demand. As the Recreation Department witnessed the rise of pickleball in the community, they responded by purchasing rolling pickleball nets, which allows a single tennis court to be converted into two pickleball courts. The Recreation Department and LPC are continuing to work in partnership to increase the number of pickleball courts in the area, to include “considering a capital project to meet the interest and demand for th[e] growing sport.”
Moreover, as Winter 2023 approached, the demand for indoor court options became apparent. After talking to multiple organizations, LPC established a partnership with Grace Chapel, a local church with the appropriate space the club needed. LPC now “rents the space from the church and manages the program separately adhering to their rules.” Within their agreement, LPC has access to the church’s space on set days and times and requires that players each sign a liability waiver. The club maintains the programs, sign-up procedures, and payments and is responsible for safety during club activities at Grace Chapel.
LPC’s creative approach to identifying court opportunities for members has allowed them to secure multiple partnerships with local organizations for use of their space and support the growth of the sport in the area. McCormick highlights that “LPC’s relationship with the town and Grace Chapel has made pickleball more accessible in Lexington,” furthering the popularity of the sport through multiple generations. The club itself has increased their membership simply because of their advocacy for more play spaces and times in their town.
Prior to the growth of pickleball in the area, Lexington was primarily a tennis town with a large, dedicated tennis community. Because the original public courts were created to meet the needs of local tennis players, LPC is mindful that pickleball play can often feel like an infringement on tennis availability. LPC has “worked to build a respectful relationship with the tennis community so that the court time is equitable and accessible for both types of play.” Further, LPC is not the only local organization that has worked with the Lexington Recreation Department to identify resources for the organizations. They feel “fortunate that the town is willing to work with such organizations and allow for creative solutions that meet the community’s needs.”
While their progress toward addressing pickleball availability in the community is certainly impressive, LPC is currently looking to increase local options for both indoor and outdoor courts. They are not necessarily set on owning a space themselves, however they are interested in additional partnerships and “believe such space is possible to secure especially given the work-from-home and hotelling corporate office reality.” They are seeking additional indoor space primarily due to the inclement Massachusetts winters to facilitate year-round play while the additional outdoor courts are to address the overwhelming demand for pickleball in Lexington. The club “regularly hear[s] from members that they can’t reserve a court because they are already booked,” indicating the town’s current demand for pickleball play exceeds the supply. LPC regularly offers drill sessions and beginner clinics allowing more people to be introduced to the sport, thus further increasing the demand, and they “want to provide play opportunities within [their] town that are accessible physically and financially to all.”
For those looking to establish similar partnerships with community organizations, McCormick recommends “ensurin[ing] that pickleball play, once it is available, [it] is intentionally accessible to all players” in order to maximize player’s use of the courts. Additionally, it is important to put yourself out there in the community and set up meetings with various organizations to discuss creative solutions.
LPC’s mission is to “make pickleball accessible and to promote the playing of the sport for all.” They continue to advocate for additional pickleball courts in the community through relationships within the town and they are also looking into options at various convertible spaces. Their membership has tripled since the club’s inception, which indicates they are creating meaningful connections within the community and have found a productive path toward growing the game in the Lexington area.
