Sherwood Park Indoor Pickleball Courts: Sherwood Park will soon have a new indoor sports facility, Peak Athletic Centre, offering volleyball and pickleball year-round. The 10,000-square-foot centre, located at Unit #75 146 Provincial Avenue, will hold a soft opening on Monday, August 25, and a grand opening on September 6.
Facility Features and Offerings
Peak Athletic Centre will feature three volleyball courts or four pickleball courts. It will include technology such as video delay, radar speed guns, and a serving machine. The centre also has a team room for meetings and a reception area for visitors.
Chris Dafoe, owner of Peak Athletic Centre, said the idea came from his experience as a player and coach. “It’s just the love of the sport. The fact that my kids got to play and loved the sport, and I got to coach them. That was kind of the fire, because I played volleyball when I was in high school and junior high, and then just seeing the need and seeing what the sport does for kids and youth in general,” he said.
Dafoe added that creating affordable opportunities for families was a key goal. “An opportunity to be able to provide a place that people maybe can’t afford. We can offer a place for those kids to play by supporting those families and sponsoring them to play in our camps and training sessions. I think it’s just a huge honour and a great opportunity for our team to do that stuff.”
Filling a Local Need
Jaime Peters, director of operations at Peak Athletic Centre, said Sherwood Park has lacked a dedicated volleyball facility. “It’s a very popular sport with youth. It’s really grown in the last five to six years, especially in the Edmonton area. And there are other indoor volleyball facilities in Edmonton and St. Albert, but Sherwood Park had very little besides court rentals at schools or Millennium for indoor gym spaces. So, I think it’s a niche that just needs to be filled in our area,” she said.
For pickleball, the new courts will allow players to continue beyond summer. “That community really thrives in the summer, and then it dwindles out in the winter because there is not a lot of opportunity for indoor play in Sherwood Park. So, our hope is that this community can have a year-round place where they can come to play,” Jaime Peters said.
Measuring Success
Chris Dafoe said success will be measured by both demand and community impact. “Success would be bursting at the seams. We have no more room to fit the number of people who want to come here. But, in reaching out to our community and supporting Strathcona County in athletics, I think that’s success. Reaching out to a demographic who might not be able to afford to get into these two sports in particular, and form relationships and foundations there, that’s success,” he explained.
Jaime Peters added that true success would be if, after a year, the community missed the opportunities and connections the centre provided.
News in Brief: Sherwood Park Indoor Pickleball Courts
Peak Athletic Centre in Sherwood Park opens August 25 with volleyball and pickleball courts. The 10,000-square-foot facility includes four pickleball or three volleyball courts, technology for training, and community spaces. Owner Chris Dafoe and director Jaime Peters aim to create year-round access, affordable programs, and strong local connections.
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