The City of Moose Jaw is playing catch-up when it comes to public pickleball courts. 

Other cities in the province such as Saskatoon and Regina currently have public pickleball courts for the sport that is growing in popularity, while Moose Jaw currently does not have that option. 

Public pickleball courts are scheduled to be built in 2025 as part of the department of parks and recreation’s five-year plan. Director of parks and recreation Derek Blais said they are looking into options to have the courts built sooner. 

“We are looking at opportunities to bump that up and work with some different groups on fundraising campaigns to see what we can do to get some outdoor courts built. I think that's the ideal solution, something that's drop-in, something that's available at any time,” Blais said. 

Pickleball courts will be available at the Golden Ticket Sports Centre (formerly the Hillcrest Sports Centre) and there are pickleball courts at the Cosmo Centre, but both options have limited time slots. 

Meanwhile, pickleball courts are slated for the Iron Bridge Community Association’s outdoor recreation area. Memberships would need to be purchased in order to use the courts. However, as part of the agreement with the city, the Iron Bridge Community Association must make memberships available to all residents in the city, not just those in the subdivision. 

Mayor Fraser Tolmie said he hopes the city can find a solution to the lack of public courts sooner rather than later. 

“There have been some comments by people within the community this is a great opportunity to have partnerships. You look at something like the Tennis Club who's been in operation for quite a long time. They've got a partnership. We just went through a motion with them to redo their courts,” he said.