The Summerland Pickleball Club is asking the municipality for four outdoor courts for its sport.
Henry Sielmann, a member of the club, said the community has no dedicated courts for the sport, which is described as a cross between tennis and ping pong.
It is played on courts with two players on a team, each using a paddle larger than a ping pong paddle, but of a similar design.
While the racquet sport has similarities to tennis, it cannot be played on tennis courts.
“The pickleball court is quite a bit smaller than a tennis court,” Sielmann said.
If additional lines were added to a tennis court, the court could no longer be used for sanctioned tennis tournaments, he added.
The sport has been played in Summerland for many years, but the Summerland Pickleball Club is a new organization, formed in July. At present, there are 45 members in the club.
Sielmann said it is the fastest growing sport in North America, especially popular among older adults who want to remain fit without overtaxing their bodies.
Because there are no dedicated facilities here, many of the members will go to Penticton, Peachland or West Kelowna to pursue their sport.
“There’s something to be said about having pickleball courts here,” Sielmann said.
Four pickleball courts take up the same amount of space as one tennis court.
Sielmann and other members of the club plan to meet with officials with the Summerland Recreation Department and would like to have the courts included in the 2017 municipal budget.