New pickleball complex planned for development in St. Joseph

One of the world’s fastest growing sports will expand its footprint in St. Joseph.

Local parks officials are laying the groundwork for the development of an $800,000 pickleball complex at Corby Grove with construction potentially beginning as early as this fall.

“With the rise of the popularity of pickleball, that was something that really came to the top of the list. We really didn’t even consider anything else,” St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Director Chuck Kempf said.

A combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton — pickleball is played on a badminton sized court with a net a few inches shorter than a tennis net, participants hit and return a whiffle ball using a larger ping-pong style paddle in games of doubles or singles.

The complex will be located off North 22nd Street, in the same location as the old Corby tennis courts, a deteriorating structure that was recently demolished to make way for the pickleball complex.

“I think it’s likely to be a six to eight court complex and lighted is our goal. I think our budget will stand up to the lighting,” Kempf said. “I’m going to recommend that sometime, probably in May, the city begins the process to obtain an architect to design that.”

Pickleball claimed the title of ‘fastest growing sport’ in the U.S. for a third consecutive year in 2024 according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association, with participation rising by a staggering 223.5% in the last three years.

A big reason why? The sport can be played by almost anyone regardless of age.

Just ask St. Joseph resident and well-known business owner L.B. Newey. At 84 years old, the longtime owner of Sac-N-Save can often be found enjoying morning games of pickleball at the St. Joseph Rec Center.

“I bring people here and they kind of get hooked on it. It’s a game that you can play at all ages. I’m playing into my 80s, so that’s good,” Newey said.

Tom Filley is another one of many local residents who’s fallen in love with the sport over the last two years and is thrilled to see new a new complex on the horizon, especially at a scenic location like the Parkway.

“I think it’s fantastic. The pickleball courts are definitely needed in this town. It’s a very player friendly sport and to have more pickleball courts will relieve some of the pressure,” Filley said. “It’s a sport I never thought I’d ever play, but it’s fantastic.”

New pickleball courts were initially a supplemental project on the 2021 Parks Tax project list with a budget of $360,000, but growing demand for the sport and a combination of Parks Tax and Capital Improvements Project funds allowed them to pursue a budget more than twice that.

“We also want to have some common area for people to be able to relax, get some shade. So we want to make sure we we know we consider that when we’re doing the design,” Kempf said.

The hope is to have a design contract for early reading in July, when funding becomes available, to begin design early in the fiscal year, according to Kempf.

While Kempf expects site grading to offer a challenge due to the sloped terrain, the development process might require the installation of retaining walls.

Kempf believes that the overall design process should be easy to finish once it begins.

“I think the construction will be really dependent on how quickly the design can be completed,” Kempf said. “I don’t know if design and construction would be able to be completed by the end of that fall. But I think it’s really easy for that to be done in the spring of ‘26.”

The pickleball complex will join a growing list of other courts located at The Bode Sports Complex, Hyde Park, The St. Joseph Rec Center and Ricky Deans.