Huge Central Park Pickleball Court Complex Set For Ribbon Cutting

CENTRAL PARK, NY — The "largest pickleball installation in the northeast" will have its ribbon cutting ceremony Friday in Central Park.

Following the 10 a.m. opening ceremony, the 14 pickleball courts at Wollman Rink will welcome players for the first time, and remain open through Oct. 9.

The 14 courts have space for up to 84 players.

While attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony is free, the pickleball is not.

Peak-hour courts go for $120 an hour and off-peak reservations will cost you $80.

Off-peak hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, but every hour of Friday through Sunday is considered peak.

In terms of other options of play, open play is $30 an hour per player, leagues are $35 an hour per player, and clinics are $40 an hour per player.

"Playing on professional courts in Central Park’s iconic Wollman Rink?" CityPickle asked on its website. "Our dream come true too!"

Wollman Rink has more than just new pickleball courts, it also has a new operator.

Former President Donald Trump's company operated the Central Park venue beginning in the 1980s, but his contract was not renewed by ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The rink is now operated by multiple parties, including Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, the Equinox Group, and the Related Companies, which is the Hudson Yards developer.

Pickleball is America's fastest growing sport, jumping nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to the New York Times.

However, that rise has sparked confrontations about shared public space across the city, with parents and players swatting at each other from the West Village to Hell's Kitchen to the Upper East Side.

That turf battle has centered around how much space in public parks should be taken over by pickleball courts, especially when it takes away area from children trying to play.

The city’s Parks Department actually banned pickle play at a West Village playground last December after similar concerns were raised.