A plan to explore building a large outdoor pickleball facility in Dartmouth was approved during the Halifax Regional Council meeting on Tuesday, May 14, 2025. The motion, brought forward by Councillor Tony Mancini of Dartmouth East-Burnside, passed in a 13–4 vote. It asks city staff to look at possible locations and costs for a regional facility with nine to sixteen courts. The goal is to support the growing number of people playing pickleball in the area.
“Pickleball, I would guess five, six years ago, that term was not known by most people, but now it’s amazing the growth the sport has taken on. It used to be an older demographic that played the sport but now it’s young and old and everybody in between.” – (Mancini)
Demand for Pickleball Courts
Pickleball Nova Scotia has more than 2,000 members. The group believes that over 10,000 people play the sport across the province. However, players often have to share space with tennis and basketball games because there aren’t enough pickleball courts. This has caused many scheduling problems and limited court access.
Councillors Raise Questions
Councillor David Hendsbee, who represents Lawrencetown-The Lakes-Chezzetcook-Eastern Shore, questioned the idea of putting so many courts in one location.
“That’s quite a vast number of courts in regard to size of territory. Trying to find a spot for that many courts may be impractical.” – (Hendsbee)
He also asked about extra features the new venue might need.
“Do they want lighting, access to water supply? Those are issues they may want to reconsider. (A) washroom facility, parking lot capacity, transit route? Those all would have to come into discussion.” – (Hendsbee)
Community Partnership and Support
Tony Mancini said the Dartmouth Pickleball Association is ready to help pay for the project and work with staff to find a good location.
“Many of the folks involved in the association are folks that are involved in construction and other things. There’s money looking to be put on the table, to partner with us. It’s a true partnership.” – (Mancini)
Right now, there are 37 outdoor pickleball courts in the Halifax Regional Municipality. There used to be 38, but one set of courts at Castle Hill Park was changed back to tennis. The decision came after complaints from neighbors about noise caused by plastic balls and solid paddles. The courts were only 10 metres from a four-storey apartment building.
Donald Johnston, the president of Pickleball Nova Scotia, said building new courts is expensive. In January, he gave the example of courts in Little Harbour and River John in Pictou County that cost $50,000 each to build.
Cricket Supporters Voice Concerns
Some councillors questioned why pickleball was being given attention while other sports, like cricket, have been asking for support for years. There are four cricket clubs in the Halifax area and about 200 regular players, along with many who play for fun. Yet, there is no full-time cricket pitch anywhere in the province. Councillor Patty Cuttell, who represents Spryfield-Sambro Loop, said,
“We’ve been talking about a cricket pitch for a few years now. I’ll just note again (that) Charlottetown has three cricket pitches.” – (Cuttell)
Tony Mancini responded by saying that every part of the city should get a chance to have new sports facilities.
“We all want more and more as we grow in population. What we’re asking to do is simply to have staff investigate this further.” – (Mancini)
What Comes Next
Halifax staff will now begin studying where the courts could be built and how much they might cost. No decisions have been made yet about the final location, size, or timeline for construction.
Community groups like the Dartmouth Pickleball Association are expected to stay involved in the planning process. The project is still in the early stages, but it reflects the strong interest in the fast-growing sport and the city’s challenge of balancing support for all sports.
News in Brief: Pickleball Facility in Dartmouth
Halifax council voted 13–4 to study building a regional pickleball facility in Dartmouth. Councillor Tony Mancini brought the motion forward. Some councillors raised concerns about lack of cricket fields. The Dartmouth Pickleball Association offered to help with funding. City staff will now study possible sites and costs.
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