LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A growing sport in the valley will soon have another place for players to enjoy. The City of Las Vegas gave the green light to develop a new pickleball complex.
"We really need more courts. So I'm so excited that we'll get that new pickleball complex soon," said the founder of Neon Picklers, Sheila Stewart.
On Wednesday, the city served up some much-needed funding.
"I was there at the city council meeting," Stewart said. "Yay! We really need this."
The city approved a $12 million grant to develop a pickleball complex at Wayne Bunker Park in the northwest valley. Stewart and her pickleball group members meet at Durango Hills Park every other day to play pickleball. Stewart says she never thought her pickleball group, the Neon Picklers, would grow as fast as it has.
"I started this group a year ago, and we started out with five people and now we have over 360 members in our group," she said. "It has changed my life. I've lost weight, I'm sharper, my mental acuity is so much better, and I drive better. It's amazing what pickleball does for people."
Millions of people play pickleball across the country and more courts are appearing around the valley. Deven Calhoun says before pickleball courts were built at Sunset Park, he used to drive 30 minutes to get to the nearest court. He says he's glad that more courts are being built.
"I would get up as early as possible, catch the sun coming up and get out there," Calhoun said. "We try to play all day to maximize the time because 30 minutes each way starts to add up."
Stewart shares that sentiment.
"On this side of the town, we don't have anything like that. That's why Wayne Bunker is so important, in the morning people have to sit out and wait."
On top of the approval of the new development at Wayne Bunker Park, there are other pickleball facilities in the works across the valley. One center is being built in Henderson and is going to be called Chicken N' Pickle.
"We just want to bring food, fun and friendship and the game of pickleball to everybody across the country. Pickleball has experienced major growth; it went from 5 million players two years ago to 36 million last year," said Chicken N' Pickle director of marketing, Carrie Bartlow.
The grant money would be used to add 30 courts within the city.
