WESTFIELD – Registration for the 2021 Spring Westfield Pickleball Leagues is open until March 24 and filling up fast, according to player Shannon Small. She said signups are already at 70 percent.”If you want to play in the league, you have to sign up,” she said.
League play will start on April 5. The current plan is to have an eight-week league, with two tiers based on level of play, depending on registrations. There will be a limit of 20 teams per night. Players may register in Women’s, which plays on Monday evenings, Men’s on Wednesdays, or Mixed League on Fridays. The fee to join is $10, which pays for new balls that will be distributed the first week of play. Players may register at westfieldpickleball.com/spring-2021-registration.
According to Small, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, growing by over 21 percent last year. She said it is a game for all ages and abilities, and everyone is welcome.
“It’s the only sport I’ve played, and I’ve played a lot, where people laugh but also challenge themselves to get better,” Small said, adding, “It’s a game they may look like checkers but plays like chess.”
All league play is held at the Municipal Tennis Courts on Franklin Street. She said currently there are six dedicated pickleball courts, as well as courts dual-lined for tennis and pickleball. Small said one of the dual-lined courts is wheelchair accessible.
Besides league play there is open play on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as morning and afternoon play. Speaking to Small on Friday morning, she said there were five courts filled, and the evening before all six were in play, with people waiting.
“It’s amazing to see what this is bringing to our town, it’s an amazing gift to our community,” Small said, adding, “Such a diverse group of people. We had an 8-year old playing with 83-year olds.”
Parks & Recreation will also be holding six-week Youth and Adult Intro to Pickleball clinics on Saturdays at the Municipal Court beginning on April 10, with a second Adult Clinic beginning on May 22. The cost is $65 and registration is available online at WestfieldMAParksRec.com.
Small said “Pickleball for all Westfield” is the motto of the Westfield pickleball community. “We love everybody; everybody is included,” she said.
