When doors open at 6 a.m. on weekdays at Finley Center at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, there are usually people waiting to enter.

Most of them aren’t there for the walking track, basketball, or volleyball. They are ready and waiting to play one of the fastest growing sports in the United States: pickleball.

The popularity of the sport – described as a mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis – has grown so much that Hoover officials are adding more space to play the game, both indoors and outdoors.

Finley Center staff originally installed the equipment for three pickleball courts, but have since expanded to six courts. Courts are typically 20 feet wide and 44 feet long, about a quarter the size of a tennis court.

But demand has grown so much that the Finley Center has ordered equipment to double the number of courts to 12, said John Sparks, vice president of sports facility management who oversees the Hoover Met complex and about half a dozen courts. other facilities.

Other than ordering new equipment, it’s just a matter of temporarily converting space typically used for basketball or volleyball.

Additionally, the City of Hoover plans to add eight outdoor pickleball courts near the 16 tennis courts at the Hoover Met Complex and eight more at Veterans Park near Valleydale Road, City Administrator Allan Rice said.

“It’s a huge demand and a very popular sport and not enough places to play right now,” Rice said.

According to the USA Pickleball Association, the governing and rule-making body for the sport in that country, 4.2 million Americans played pickleball in 2020, an increase of 21.3% from 2019.

Tournament attendance is growing, new leagues are forming, and communities, country clubs and fitness centers across the country are converting hard surfaces for pickleball and building new fields dedicated to the sport.

The Austin Pickle Ranch, a private club in Austin, Texas, has 32 dedicated pickleball courts, while The Villages near Orlando has 214 pickleball courts. One of the largest complexes in Alabama is at the Opelika Sportsplex, which has 12 pickleball courts.

In Hoover, you can find pickleball courts at places like Wilborn Lake, Hunter Street Baptist Church, and the Greystone YMCA.

There are many more in the Birmingham-Hoover area including Heardmont Park in Shelby County, Joe Tucker Park in Helena, Pelham Recreation Center, Valleydale Church, Brook Highland Racquet Club, Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex in Vestavia Hills , Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, Lifetime Fitness at Vestavia Hills, Homewood Community Center, Levite Jewish Community Center, Mountain Brook YMCA, Trussville mall, Gardendale tennis complex, Fultondale Tennis Courts, Clay Pickleball and Tennis Center and many tennis parks and complexes in Birmingham.

Tournaments add interest

The Finley Center hosted the Heritage Pickleball Tournament in August 2019, which attracted 284 players from 19 states. Then, in June 2020, the Finley Center hosted the first USA National Indoor Pickleball Championships, which drew over 300 teams over the course of a week and was a qualifying event for the championship final event. in California later in the year.

The Indoor Nationals are set to return to the Finley Center in June this year.

Hoover held its first outdoor pickleball tournament at the Hoover Met Tennis Complex in the fall, and it drew 60 to 80 teams from around the area, Sparks said. The tournaments have helped boost interest in the sport and increase the daily demand for more space, he said.

There is currently no formal pickleball league at Finley Center. People just show up to play each day and take turns on the courts as the space is available between 6am and 2pm each weekday unless a special event is taking place.

Matches usually last around 25 minutes and the courts stay quite full in the morning, said regulars Suzanne Norris. But the group welcomes newcomers, she says.

“I’ve been coming since July and I’m already hooked,” said Norris, a 62-year-old former specialist teacher who now teaches Pilates. “I come everyday.”

Norris is a former tennis player and hadn’t played for six or seven years when she discovered pickleball and fell in love with it, she said.

Although it has some similarities to tennis, there are some differences, she said.

The court is smaller, the rackets are smaller than tennis rackets (more like large ping pong rackets), and the ball is plastic with holes like a wiffle ball and therefore doesn’t bounce as much, a- she declared.

“It’s a great exercise,” Norris said. “You get your adrenaline here.”

She comes with lots of friends from the nearby community of Abingdon, but loves the fact that she was able to meet lots of new people, she said.

“People are so nice. It’s a community, which is really nice,” she said.

All ages, skill levels

There are people of all age groups, from young adults through to their 80s, but most at the Finley Center so far are likely to be 40 or older, she said. There are a variety of skill levels, but “really strong players are really nice to mix with newbies,” she said. “You don’t improve unless you’re with stronger players.”

Randy Hebson, a 69-year-old pensioner from Bluff Park, said he started playing pickleball about a year and a half ago at First Christian Church near Valleydale Road and then started coming to the Finley Center in November. He tries to come to Finley Center every morning Monday through Friday, and he still plays Tuesday and Thursday nights at First Christian Church, he said.

“I like the heart part,” he said. “If I can play pickleball, I don’t have to go to the gym.”

Plus, he loves the social aspect of it, he says. “They’re just good people having fun.”

Kayla Posey, a 30-year-old Quail Run resident, said the people who play at the Finley Center have really developed a sense of community with one another. They bring food to other players when they are away for a while due to surgery or cut their grass for them, she said.

Plus, “it helps me start my day,” she said. “I’m going home, and I’m just on cloud nine.”

Randy Adamy, the retired former owner of O’Henry’s Coffees who lives in Lake Crest, is considered one of Finley Center’s most talented players and has played in three or four tournaments. He said he discovered the game several years ago while visiting his sister in Florida.

“I was able to pick it up quickly just because I played tennis and racquetball in my early days,” he said.

The sport suits him better than others because he’s shorter and has a smaller frame than the average guy, he said.

Lance Brown, a 44-year-old man from the Bent River community near Old Rocky Ridge Road, said he was a tennis player and his girlfriend convinced him to try pickleball in December.

“I love the fast pace and you can play it indoors even when it’s raining,” he said. “I think I’m going to be addicted for life. We are trying to find a tournament to go play soon.

The biggest challenge for him was adapting to the shorter paddle compared to a tennis racquet, which has a longer reach, he said.

More lessons, courts ahead

With so many new people learning the game, pickleball players have found a pickleball professional to come to the Finley Center to help people learn the game and improve their skills.

Leslie Bashinsky played tennis at Arizona State for four years and became a tennis and pickleball professional. She has worked at places like Birmingham Country Club, Lifetime Fitness in Vestavia Hills and the Riverchase Country Club.

She was introduced to pickleball by another tennis pro, started playing in tournaments, and in 2019 won first place in the 55-60 age group singles at the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, NS. Mexico.

“I saw this sport explode,” Bashinsky said. “People like to play pickleball because it’s easier to pick up than maybe tennis or golf.”

Plus, it’s something people can play at any age, she says. With a smaller court, there’s not as much running involved as in tennis, but she doesn’t find it any easier, she said. “It’s a really good workout.”

She has already started offering classes at the Finley Center, but plans to expand individual and group classes as needed, she said. Those interested in classes can contact her at 205-907-4258.

Meanwhile, planning has already begun to add the outdoor courts to the Hoover Met Complex and Veterans Park. The project at Veterans Park is a 50-50 joint venture with Shelby County with a budget of $600,000, but “it might not cost that much,” Rice said.

The exact location has not been decided, but the idea is to place it close to the parking lot without interfering with other activities taking place in the park, such as cross-country competitions, he said. declared.

An exact location has also not been determined at the Hoover Met complex, but it would likely be near a parking lot and restrooms, he said. Because the city council has yet to approve money for outdoor pickleball courts at the Hoover Met, there will likely be a budget amendment presented to council, Rice said.

The goal is to complete both sets of eight pitches by the end of June, he said.

To learn more about pickleball, visit usapickleball.org.