Let’s Play Pickleball!
August 04, 2021
Pickleball National Championship comes to Red Deer
If you drive by Motorworks Field during the summer months, you will hear the back and forth of the fastest growing game in Central Alberta. The popularity of pickleball has taken the world by storm and here in Red Deer, it is no different. What started in 2013 with a couple dozen participants, the Red Deer Pickleball Club has grown rapidly to over 400 members.
In the beginning, pickleball was played in Red Deer on neighborhood tennis courts that were converted for Pickleball use. Fast forward to today, and Red Deer now has the largest outdoor dedicated pickleball facility in Canada! This facility is located at Motorworks Field and features 20 dedicated pickleball courts. This site is operated by the Red Deer Pickleball Club and is open to the general public of all abilities and ages.
Red Deer’s pickleball facility has become the envy of many ‘Pickleballers’ across Canada. To highlight this new facility, the Red Deer Pickleball Club applied for and was successful in securing the 2021 National Championships. In June, the green light was given by Pickleball Canada was given to proceed with the 2021 event, after cancelling in 2020 due to the pandemic. Since then, a group of small but mighty event organizers have been working feverishly to get things in place to host this event. So far, over 900 participants have registered, and Red Deer is ready to welcome visitors from across the country. Event organizers have amazing plans in the works for those attending this tournament and are confident they will enjoy their time here in Red Deer.
Events like this produce a wide variety of economic and social benefits for Red Deer. Events are a proven tourism driver that can bring visitor dollars into communities, and bring host communities together, strengthen local pride, enhance community engagement, build the capacity of local organizations, contribute to the preservation of built and natural environments, and strengthen the case for enhancements to infrastructure and programs.
This event kicks off on August 10 and runs until August 15. All matches are taking place at the courts located at Motorworks Field and the public are invited to attend and watch the tournament. For more information, including a full schedule of events, please visit the Red Deer Pickleball website.