Pickleball popularity puts court space at a premium in Grafton

Possibly no one was prepared for the popularity of Pickleball in Grafton — particularly parallel to a pandemic.

But while players are anxious to expand pickleball courts at Ferry Street Field, they also are concerned that adult enthusiasm for the pastime may force the children and adults who prefer basketball off their playing space.

“This is a great problem. ‘Oh my god, we’ve got too many people who want to use our facilities,’ ” said Greg Rota, who heads up the Grafton Pickleball Group, appearing before the Recreation Commission Monday. “We just need to solve this problem.”

Pickleball was invented at a summer home on Bainbridge Island, off the coast of Seattle, in 1965.  It combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis, necessitated by a family who did not have enough equipment to play any of those sports, according to USA Pickleball.

The sport was first introduced in town through a Grafton Recreation program two years ago and has since expanded to three courts at Ferry Street, sharing space with both basketball and tennis. The sport is so popular, players shoveled snow off the courts over the winter just to get a few games in.

The adult group tends to reserve the courts for its games but has run into a snag in the afternoons — the courts are already taken by basketball players after school.

“A reservation system is totally unfair for kids,” Rota said.

With the pickleball group at 70 members and still growing, Grafton is now part of a trend that includes national tournaments, an ever-expanding list of recreation programs across the United States and Canada, and, in Massachusetts, an enthusiasm that’s brought courts throughout the state.

Player Dan Fitzgerald attributed the sport’s rise during COVID-19 to the game’s built-in social distancing and accessibility to multiple ages.

“It’s growing. It’s not going to stop growing, so how can we all work together to make sure no kid in town loses a place to play basketball or whatever?” Rota asked.

The Recreation Commission decided to work with the pickleballers to set aside certain times later in the day for pickleball.

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