THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — With growing crowds and not enough courts, pickleball players are pushing hard for new space.
- Local players have been attending city council meetings to advocate for new pickleball courts.
- City leaders acknowledge the sport’s growth but say funding is tight due to ongoing projects.
- The Thomasville Pickleball Association is now considering nonprofit status to help secure donations and grants.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country. In Thomasville, it's growing faster than the courts can handle.
I'm showing you why this sport means so much to local players and what they're doing to rally for change.
"Back in 2023 they said there were 36 million people playing pickleball in the US and in 2024 there were 48 million," said Williams.
That's Herb Williams, an ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association.
He's been pushing hard to grow pickleball right here in Thomasville.
"About six years ago four people got together and played the first game of pickleball here in Thomasville and they started playing on Monday mornings," said Williams.
Today, he tells me thousands of people in Thomasville play pickleball regularly but the city's three courts just can't keep up with demand.
"Those three courts are in really bad repair. And so that's one of the reasons why we're trying to ask the city to build new courts, is because those courts cannot be repaired. They're just in such bad shape that they can't be repaired. They'd have to be torn out," said Williams.
Williams and other pickleball enthusiasts have been showing up to every city council meeting to express how much the sport means to them and how they want new courts built — specifically at Cherokee lake park.
"I think you've got a city council that is trying to find ways to accommodate. The need is there. We see it, and we hear you," said Scott Chastain, councilmember.
Williams has also met with the city manager and assistant in private, who agree picthat kleball is booming and good for the local economy.
But with so many projects on their plate, the city is urging the club to look for private and county funding to help build new courts for now...
Williams tells me he now plans to turn the club into a nonprofit, he says that'll make it easier to get donations and build the courts the community truly needs.
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