Massive Pickleball Court Complex To Open In Central Park

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Pickleball lovers rejoice. The largest pickleball courts installation in the Northeast is about to open in Central Park.

Wollman Rink will host a total of 14 pickleball courts from April 7th through Oct. 9, according to operators and New York City's first pickleball club, CityPickle.

“Right now the way many people play is they bring their own nets to scraps of pavement around the city,” said CityPickle co-founder Erica Desai.

“In Wollman, not only will be able to accommodate a lot of people, they’ll be playing on a professional surface.”

• You can check out what the Central Park pickleball installation will look like, HERE.

The price of a professional pickleball court will cost players quite a bit more than a jar of pickles— peak hour courts go for $120 and off-peak reservations will cost $80.

Pickleball players can reserve a court for a slot between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. starting on March 31.

Wollman Rink, just south of the 65th Street Transverse, will also host lessons, clinics, open-play leagues, and tournaments. Paddles will be available to rent for $6 each.

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.

Most recently, a Community Board 8 meeting on the Upper East Side took place on how much pickleball space should exist within Carl Schurz Park, and if the sport deterred kids from playing.

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