Pickleball, which is played with paddles and a wiffle-like ball, has exploded in popularity in recent years. During the pandemic, more than a million Americans began playing it, bringing the total to around five million. Stars and athletes play pickleball; so do grandparents, parents, and children, often together. Locally, there is a pickleball club called Marinette – Menominee Area Pickleball, Inc. who have been teaching others in the community to play pickleball. However, with more players, the need for outdoor courts is in high demand. Since, currently, the only place to play pickleball is the Community REC Center. That’s when the Pickleball group approached the City of Marinette with a proposal to fundraise for the money to repair tennis courts and create pickleball courts at the Civic Center in Marinette. At last evenings City of Marinette’s council meeting, the council discussed the benefits of having the pickleball group fundraise to pay for the upgrades. Alderperson Rick Polzin says, “we discussed an option of using the upper concrete courts.”

Polzin says, “it was recommended, by the committee, to go with the two lower asphalt courts.”

The council unanimously voted in favor of the fundraising efforts for the new pickleball and tennis courts at the Civic Center with the contingency that the council see the plans before any work begins. If you are interested in donating to the fundraising efforts, you can contact the Marinette-Menominee Pickleball, Inc.