Canada’s Indoor Pickleball Shortage: A Structural Under-Investment in Recreational Infrastructure

Across Canada, pickleball continues to grow at a pace unmatched by any other recreational sport. Participation among adults, seniors, and youth has accelerated every year, and the trend shows no signs of slowing.

However, municipal recreation infrastructure has not kept up. The core issue is not interest, noise, or lack of community demand—it is massive under-investment in year-round recreational facilities, especially in northern climates where winter limits outdoor access for half the year.

This gap between participation and infrastructure is now one of the most significant challenges facing the sport.

A Northern Climate Requires Indoor Infrastructure

Outdoor pickleball courts, while valuable in the summer, are unusable or unreliable for five to six months annually due to snow, freezing temperatures, and early sunsets.

Even during shoulder seasons—April, October, November—play is often limited by:

• Frost and surface freezing

• Wet courts

• Wind exposure

• Low light conditions

This means that outdoor courts, regardless of quality, cannot form the backbone of a sustainable pickleball strategy in Canada.

High Demand Meets Limited Supply: Long Wait Times Are Inevitable

In many communities, municipalities have added two to four outdoor courts as an initial response to rising interest.
But this scale does not meet actual participation levels.

Common challenges now seen across the country include:

• Long wait times for open play

• Overcrowding during peak hours

• Insufficient space for lessons, leagues, and structured programs

• Limited opportunities for youth and beginners

• Reduced accessibility for older adults who prefer indoor play

These pressures show that the supply of courts is not aligned with real-world demand.

Parkland is Scarce — and Suitable Outdoor Sites Are Even Scarcer

Even when cities want to add more outdoor courts, they face structural constraints:

1. Limited municipal parkland

Many communities are already below recommended parkland density targets, especially high-growth cities.

2. Noise setback requirements

Pickleball courts must be located an appropriate distance from homes, which disqualifies many existing parks.

3. Competing uses for green space

Parks must support playgrounds, multi-use fields, walking paths, and passive green areas. Because of these factors, municipalities cannot rely solely on limited outdoor court expansion to meet long-term pickleball demand.

Shifts in Participation: Traditional Sports Facilities Sit Idle

Municipal recreation planning has historically focused on legacy sports such as baseball, soccer, tennis, and outdoor hockey.
But national data shows:

• Declining participation in several traditional sports

• Reduced league registrations

• Underused diamonds, fields, and courts, often sitting empty for 8–9 months annually and for large portions of weekday hours even in summer

These facilities were built for a different era. Today’s recreational patterns are changing, and pickleball is one of the clearest indicators of that shift.

A modern recreation strategy requires aligning infrastructure investments with current and future participation trends, not historical ones.

Why Indoor Multi-Court Facilities Are the Long-Term Solution

Indoor pickleball centres (8–12 courts or more) offer several advantages:

• Year-round play

• No noise conflicts

• Predictable programming

• Accessibility for all ages

• Revenue stability through leagues, lessons, and drop-ins

• Efficient use of land

• Ability to meet demand for structured development pathways

They also make superior use of space:
A 10–12 court indoor pickleball facility can accommodate hundreds of players per day, far exceeding the throughput of most outdoor or multi-sport spaces.

Canada’s climate and demographic trends make indoor pickleball infrastructure not just beneficial but essential.

A Leading Example: Newmarket, Ontario

Among the municipalities adapting to these realities, Newmarket stands out as an example of thoughtful and proactive recreation planning.

Under Mayor John Taylor, council and professional staff, Newmarket has:

• Recognized pickleball as a long-term recreational need

• Worked collaboratively with local community clubs

• Supported structured programming and shared-use models

• Made decisions informed by current participation trends rather than historical patterns

By taking a data-driven and community-focused approach, Newmarket is positioning itself as a pickleball-friendly community and a provincial leader in modern recreation planning.

Canada Needs a New Approach to Recreation Planning

The solution is not incremental outdoor courts.
It is a strategic reinvestment in year-round infrastructure that reflects today’s participation data.

Pickleball Partners recommends municipalities:

✔ Conduct local participation audits

Traditional sports vs. contemporary recreation usage.

✔ Reassess underused outdoor facilities

Identify opportunities to repurpose, share, or optimize space.

✔ Prioritize indoor pickleball capacity

8–12 court facilities provide sustainable throughput.

✔ Build partnerships with established local clubs

For programming, volunteer support, and long-term operational success.

✔ Treat pickleball as essential community infrastructure

Not as a trend or seasonal activity.

Conclusion: The Gap Is Clear — and So Is the Opportunity

Canada is experiencing an unprecedented shift in recreational participation.
Pickleball is expanding faster than any other sport, yet infrastructure investment has not kept pace.

To meet community needs today and in the future, municipalities must rethink how they allocate resources, land, and capital.

Investing in year-round pickleball facilities is not only a response to current demand—it is an investment in healthy aging, community engagement, intergenerational activity, and efficient recreational spending.

Newmarket has recognized this.
It is time for other cities to follow suit.