Photo Courtesy Joel Houston, Pickball Lincoln
Lincoln pickleball players will soon have access to a dedicated indoor facility designed specifically for the sport, as Speedway Sports Complex prepares to transition some of its space from basketball and volleyball courts to permanent pickleball courts.
The project follows years of weekday morning pickleball programming at Speedway, where players have shared the facility with other sports.
Joel Houston, president of Pickleball Lincoln, said one of the organization’s members has leased the property and plans to replace most of the existing basketball and volleyball courts with permanent pickleball courts featuring a tennis-style surface.
“We’ve been playing indoors at Speedway in the mornings for about six years,” Houston said. “They’re going to install permanent pickleball courts with an outdoor-type surface like a tennis surface.”
Houston said the project addresses one of the biggest challenges facing Lincoln’s rapidly growing pickleball community.
“In the winter, we really have a shortage of dedicated indoor courts that have the outdoor surface that people are accustomed to playing on,” Houston said. “People have been making do with wood basketball courts and gym floors, but the wood floor has fallen out of favor pretty quickly the last few years. That’s not a preferred surface anymore. So this is a big improvement.”
The need comes despite Lincoln already being a national leader in outdoor facilities.
Houston said Lincoln ranks fourth in the United States in outdoor pickleball courts per capita, thanks in part to fundraising efforts by Pickleball Lincoln over the past decade. The nonprofit helps program approximately 44 outdoor courts throughout the city during the summer months.
The sport’s demographics have also shifted dramatically.
“Ten years ago, it was really driven by retirees,” Houston said. “The retirees are no longer the growth segment of pickleball in the United States. It’s primarily young people, high school, college-age kids.”
As participation continues to climb, Houston said affordability remains a priority because many players want to play nearly every day.
“Our goal at Pickleball Lincoln is to find places to play that are reasonably priced or free,” he said. “We’re a nonprofit, and our mission is to help grow the sport and find places to play that are good quality and don’t cost too much.”
In addition to programming city-owned courts, Pickleball Lincoln organizes leagues, tournaments, round robins, clinics and open play throughout the year at locations across Lincoln. The organization also offers beginner instruction for new players.
“Joining Pickleball Lincoln only costs $20 a year and it comes with a free one-hour lesson,” Houston said. “We kind of hang our hat on helping new people find their place in the community and find places to play.”
According to Speedway Sports Complex, Pickleball Lincoln currently hosts weekday morning open play at the facility, and the planned conversion to a dedicated pickleball venue is expected to begin this fall.
For membership information, lessons, court schedules and upcoming events, visit Pickleball Lincoln.