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As the spring turns to summer and the weather clears up, many people will step outdoors and play pickleball.
The sport is a large part of summer recreation, alongside other activities like boating, soccer, camping and swimming.
The Sports and Fitness Industry Association claims on its website pickleball was the fastest growing sport in the United States in the last three years.
Participation increased by 479% from 2020 to 2025, rising from 4.2 million to 24 million players, according to the SFIA.
USA Pickleball's 2025 annual report said its database added 2,300 new locations that year, with a total of 18,258 locations and 82,613 courts nationwide.
The popularity of pickleball among regular people means real money moves into it to provide space to play the sport.
Ashtabula County is no exception, as several local governments funded court construction in the last few years.
The Saybrook Township Park Commission received a $40,000 grant from the Robert Morrison Foundation, which funded two pickleball courts at Lakefront Park.
Saybrook Township Park Chair Tanya Niemi said the courts are ready to use, minus a couple maintenance issues, and the project cost $80,000 to $90,000.
"I'm amazed at the amount of people that I've learned that go throughout the county and travel to the various pickleball courts," Niemi said. "It not necessarily a professional league, but there's a little traveling community of pickleball players."
She said the recent rise in popularity of the sport can be credited to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"People were really looking for a way and reason to reconnect with people that was fun and also frankly good for you," Niemi said.
Local resident and pickleball enthusiast Jim Lebzeltzer said he remembers learning about the sport soon after the pandemic and attributed its popularity to how easy it is to learn.
"You can catch on quick once you learn the rules," he said
Conneaut Township Park recently opened a new set of pickleball courts with a $75,000 grant from the Civic Development Corporation of Ashtabula County.
Conneaut Township Park Commissioner Danny Sullivan said pickleball courts are less expensive to build and maintain than other facilities, and pickleball equipment is less expensive compared to other sports.
"You don't have to be rich to play," Sullivan said.
Geneva Recreation Coordinator Myke Dowd said the city has pickleball courts on Eastwood Street in front of Memorial Park and indoor space at the Geneva Recreation Center.
She said the city's compressive study proposed pickleball courts at Eagle Street Park, but nothing has moved forward yet.
"They're not expensive to build," Dowd said.
Other pickleball-related projects have advanced across the county.
Ashtabula City Council voted to transition a tennis court at Harbor-Topky Memorial Library into pickleball courts at a June 2025 meeting.
Shenanigan's Sports Hall, which opened on Main Avenue in Ashtabula earlier this year, includes pickleball courts, along with several other amenities.
SPIRE Academy is considering building a recreational facility in Harpersfield that would include two pickleball courts, according to past Star Beacon reporting.
Continue reading...
The sport is a large part of summer recreation, alongside other activities like boating, soccer, camping and swimming.
The Sports and Fitness Industry Association claims on its website pickleball was the fastest growing sport in the United States in the last three years.
Participation increased by 479% from 2020 to 2025, rising from 4.2 million to 24 million players, according to the SFIA.
USA Pickleball's 2025 annual report said its database added 2,300 new locations that year, with a total of 18,258 locations and 82,613 courts nationwide.
The popularity of pickleball among regular people means real money moves into it to provide space to play the sport.
Ashtabula County is no exception, as several local governments funded court construction in the last few years.
The Saybrook Township Park Commission received a $40,000 grant from the Robert Morrison Foundation, which funded two pickleball courts at Lakefront Park.
Saybrook Township Park Chair Tanya Niemi said the courts are ready to use, minus a couple maintenance issues, and the project cost $80,000 to $90,000.
"I'm amazed at the amount of people that I've learned that go throughout the county and travel to the various pickleball courts," Niemi said. "It not necessarily a professional league, but there's a little traveling community of pickleball players."
She said the recent rise in popularity of the sport can be credited to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"People were really looking for a way and reason to reconnect with people that was fun and also frankly good for you," Niemi said.
Local resident and pickleball enthusiast Jim Lebzeltzer said he remembers learning about the sport soon after the pandemic and attributed its popularity to how easy it is to learn.
"You can catch on quick once you learn the rules," he said
Conneaut Township Park recently opened a new set of pickleball courts with a $75,000 grant from the Civic Development Corporation of Ashtabula County.
Conneaut Township Park Commissioner Danny Sullivan said pickleball courts are less expensive to build and maintain than other facilities, and pickleball equipment is less expensive compared to other sports.
"You don't have to be rich to play," Sullivan said.
Geneva Recreation Coordinator Myke Dowd said the city has pickleball courts on Eastwood Street in front of Memorial Park and indoor space at the Geneva Recreation Center.
She said the city's compressive study proposed pickleball courts at Eagle Street Park, but nothing has moved forward yet.
"They're not expensive to build," Dowd said.
Other pickleball-related projects have advanced across the county.
Ashtabula City Council voted to transition a tennis court at Harbor-Topky Memorial Library into pickleball courts at a June 2025 meeting.
Shenanigan's Sports Hall, which opened on Main Avenue in Ashtabula earlier this year, includes pickleball courts, along with several other amenities.
SPIRE Academy is considering building a recreational facility in Harpersfield that would include two pickleball courts, according to past Star Beacon reporting.
Continue reading...
