Franklin County invests in pickleball court amid booming popularity
Pickleball is considered one of the fastest growing sports in the country, so it's no surprise that people here locally are gaining interest.
A group of pickleball players have petitioned Franklin County county commissioners and town councils in the county to allocate more space for them to play the sport.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to use $175,000 to build a pickleball court at Owens Park at Monday’s meeting.
The county spokesperson James Hicks said the board was presented an estimate a multi-purpose pickleball/tennis court area at the park based on an endorsement from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Becky Berbert told WRAL News that she was chosen to spearhead the movement.
“The nearest place is in the Zebulon community center ... Other than that, though, you have to go to Wake Forest or Rocky Mount. It's a 30-minute drive for anyone in Franklin County who wants to play,” she explained.
The sport has significantly grown in popularity. She said the group plays at Terrell Lane Middle School on Sundays. There’s also a brand-new pickleball court at Lake Royale, which is private.
Berbert said this new option will be much more convenient, as they will not need to work around school schedules and it’s centrally located.
“It was very exciting to have the attention and the interest right off the bat. You'd think something like that could take years, but we must have just caught them at a good time,” she said.
Berbert describes the sport like a combination of tennis, badminton and ping pong.
“So many people can play it. It's not a contact sport. You can be as aggressive or laid back as you want to be,” Carole Zei told county commissioners on Monday. “It's just a really fun sport.”
WRAL News asked county leaders when construction on the pickleball court will start and when they hope to complete construction. Hicks said more information about the Owens Park project will be available as this process develops.
Also, Hicks said Franklin County continues to work with Franklin County Schools to provide additional opportunities to participate in pickleball at school gyms.
