Toronto’s Largest Pickleball Facility: A new outdoor pickleball facility with 11 courts will soon be built in a park near Toronto’s east end waterfront. This major project follows three years of work by Mary Beth Denomy and the East Toronto Pickleball Association to create more places to play as the sport keeps growing fast.
Mary Beth Denomy, who is chair and co-founder of the East Toronto Pickleball Association, said she feels happy the courts will be finished this summer and may open by September. She shared that the group has 700 members, but there are only two proper pickleball courts east of Yonge Street.
Rising Demand for Pickleball Courts
Across Canada, pickleball is booming. About 1.5 million people now play, and the number has gone up by 60 percent in the last three years. In Toronto, the city has allowed people to use tennis courts and old hockey rinks, but those spaces are far from perfect.
Mary Beth Denomy explained that playing on rinks can hurt players’ knees and the concrete can be slippery. Often, matches have been canceled because the rinks flood with rain. Even using tennis courts is not easy, as players must set up their own nets and mark court lines with tape.
“You wouldn’t play tennis on a hockey rink,. So it is an exciting evolution of North America’s fastest growing sport.”(Mary Beth Denomy)
Community Support and Funding
The East Toronto Pickleball Association collected over 1,000 signatures on a petition to build this new facility. They also sent letters and gained support from local businesses and schools.
Councillor Paula Fletcher said she feels “pretty exciting” about the project finally moving forward. The funding will come partly from the city’s 2025 budget. The courts will be located just east of Emdaabiimok Avenue and north of Lake Shore Boulevard East in the area called the Main Sewage Treatment Playground.
Features and Community Benefits
The new pickleball center will be built in the same greenspace that already has a rugby field, skate park, and baseball field. The courts will have lights so people can play at night and two courts will be wheelchair-accessible.
Mary Beth Denomy said the new courts will allow tournaments and bigger events. She said pickleball is special because it is easy to learn and helps people connect.
“It’s the type of sport where people come out and they bring their lawn chair and their picnic basket and they play for the whole day. It is a community group sport that is easy to pick up, easy to learn and accessible to a lot of people.”(Mary Beth Denomy)
Although Mary Beth Denomy noted the new courts won’t meet all the demand, she called them a “giant step” in the right direction.
News in Brief: Toronto’s Largest Pickleball Facility
Toronto’s first outdoor multi-court pickleball facility will open near Woodbine Park with 11 courts by fall 2025. Led by Mary Beth Denomy and the East Toronto Pickleball Association, the project aims to meet growing demand. The courts will include lights, wheelchair access, and space for tournaments.
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