Pickleball picks up momentum in Huntsville
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The 25 indoor pickleball courts at John Hunt Park opened over the summer. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
Pickleball isn't losing any momentum in Huntsville.
Why it matters: The city continues to invest in new pickleball infrastructure as new player registrations have skyrocketed over the past year — more than almost anywhere else in the country, per new national rankings.
Zoom in: In the last year, Huntsville has seen a 70.6% increase in registrations for DUPR, the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, used to rank players for official play based on match results and opponent strength.
- That puts Huntsville second nationwide in DUPR's top-10 list of fastest-growing pickleball cities, behind only Cleveland's 71%.
- DUPR says "Huntsville's rapid growth demonstrates how the sport is expanding into new communities and building strong local player networks outside of traditionally recognized pickleball hotspots."
Context: Pickleball is an accessible sport that's easy to learn but hard to master, former Huntsville Pickleball Club president Judy Hayes told Axios last year, saying it's a sport that brings people in from out of town and bonds together people who normally wouldn't cross paths.
Driving the news: The city isn't ignoring its snowballing pickleball playership, squeezing in pickleball courts wherever it can with new recreation projects.
- The city says it has 44 dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, not counting private facilities like The Picklr, and Huntsville Parks & Recreation has more than 30 programmed indoor play opportunities per week.
- There are also organized opportunities for play through clubs like Huntsville Pickleball Club and the Rocket City Pickleball Club.
Case in point: Huntsville's pickleball centerpiece, a complex of 25 covered and lit courts with a bleacher championship court at the new recreation center at John Hunt Park, opened in June.
- Even local private developments, like the recently announced Harris Farms project, are including pickleball courts among their amenities.
The bottom line: Pickleball is cementing itself as a Huntsville staple.
Go deeper: Why Huntsville can't stop playing pickleball