The sport of Pickleball continues to grow across the Maritimes.

The City of Dieppe will soon be home to ten courts. It will be the first City in the province with that many courts in one centre.

Construction is currently underway and the hope is to have the courts open by the end of September.

City Director of Development Denis Leblanc says they’ll be managed by the local Pickleball Club, “There will be ten courts and a practice court. You’ll have to be a member in order to participate or play on the court, but what we’ve asked is at certain times, that haven’t been defined yet, that the community can play Pickleball, with no membership. The group needs to identify certain times when the public can come in and there are no fees.”

Leblanc says demand for the sport is growing, and the need for these new courts was identified in the City of Dieppe recreation master plan.

The dream is to eventually host Pickleball events and tournaments, “The mandate of my department is to find them. We’d like to have a provincial, Atlantic and eventually a national tournament as well in Dieppe,” Leblanc says.

A Pickleball court is smaller when compared to a tennis court.

Other differences, the net is lower, the equipment used is lighter and the rules are different.

Players are also equipped with Pickleball paddles, as opposed to a tennis racquet.

The local Dieppe Club has around 300 members currently, but that number continues to rise with increased interest.