🎾 Pickleball Fever: How Kingston Pickleball Club Built a Community from Scratch

Based on an article by Saima Paidra, Founding Member

Pickleball has become a full-on movement. It is like tennis, badminton, and ping-pong had a baby, and that baby is now the most popular sport in town.

You are having so much fun socializing and chasing the ball that you don't even realize you are getting a great cardio session in. Plus, the community is so welcoming that you will probably find a new group of friends before you have even mastered your first dink (IYKYK; the softest shots are often the most dangerous).

Right here in Kingston, that energy eventually found a permanent home at the Kingston Pickleball Club (KPC). But long before the luxury of climate control, the club was powered by nothing but a shared obsession and some serious local hustle.

Before anyone was worried about a roof or a lease, the club was really just a group of friends with a plan. You could already see the sport taking over Kingston by 2016. People were meeting up for games at the YMCA and Artillery Park, or heading out to the courts at Belle Park, Henderson, Bayridge, and Harrowsmith. It started as just a few casual groups here and there, but those players soon found each other and decided it was time to put a real name on what they were building.

In the fall of that year, a small but determined group of "early champions" met at a private home in Reddendale. There was no bank account, no permanent courts, and no formal structure. They just had enthusiasm, taped lines, portable nets, and a commitment to building something meaningful for the community.

That vision began to take shape in December 2016, when the group held its first formal meeting. A constitution was drafted and a tiny $20 annual membership fee was set to get things moving. Volunteer members started running clinics to help newbies find their footing, and it did not take long for the local player base to really take off.

The club also became a "squeaky wheel" for the City. They teamed up with local officials to show them just how fast the sport was exploding and why the city needed real courts. They managed to get some improvements at Belle Park, including painted lines on the courts, but the group knew that Kingston was ready for something much bigger.

By 2017, KPC was really making waves. They hosted successful tournaments, including the Eastern Canadians, which boosted their profile and their bank balance. It grew from a humble $516 to over $4,200 in a year. This was not just luck; it was the result of a dedicated group of volunteers who handled everything from logistics to refereeing.

The search for a permanent home was a bit of a rollercoaster. Plans for Belle Park fell through, and while it was a lot of hard work with no immediate home to show for it, the advocacy never stopped.

When COVID-19 hit and closed the doors on indoor play, the players simply played outdoors to keep the games alive. That determination kept the club’s spirit strong until they could finally settle into a permanent spot.

By the fall of 2021, the club was finally getting back into its regular rhythm, even while navigating the ever-changing COVID rules and public health protocols of the time.

Around this same period, there was a huge effort to partner up with Tennis Clubs of Canada to develop indoor courts. Everyone put in a massive amount of work and went through some pretty intense negotiations, but the deal just did not cross the finish line. It was another one of those frustrating moments where all that volunteer energy felt like it had led to a dead end.

But as it turns out, that setback was the big turning point. A vacant building was identified, which is now the official home of KPC, and a lease was finally signed.

The DIY makeover that followed was nothing short of incredible. Members and volunteers rolled up their sleeves to clear ceilings, restore surfaces, and build walls from the ground up. They did it all, from installing lockers and replacing flooring to building custom fixtures and finding just the right furnishings. It was hard, labor-intensive work, but it was done with a huge amount of determination and pride.

Today, the Kingston Pickleball Club stands as the culmination of years of determination, advocacy and shared commitment sticking with it, speaking up, and working together. It is not just a sports facility; it is proof of what a volunteer-driven group can do when they share a vision and a whole lot of passion.

Whether you are a seasoned "banger" or you do not even know what a "kitchen" is yet, the KPC is ready to welcome you to the best community-run courts in the region.