Shire of Dardanup to look at providing more ‘off-peak’ court time for pickleball in Eaton following petition

Pickleball enthusiasts playing at Eaton Recreation Centre could be given more court space during off-peak times following a community petition. The petition, signed by 44 people, was presented to the Shire of Dardanup in May, requesting council provide more pickleball courts at the popular sporting hub. It states the sport’s increasing popularity had resulted in “unacceptable delays” in pickleball users being able to access vacant courts. “There are four additional courts already marked up but they are generally used by schools for their activities,” the petition states. “In the short term we need two more dedicated courts but in the medium term (we need) another four.” The number of people playing pickleball at the centre has jumped significantly since 2022, growing from 35 players each month to more than 170. Councillors requested a report on the centre’s planned expansion after the petition was received at Wednesday’s council meeting. The report highlights an expansion of the centre is likely years away, with detailed design and planning for additional courts not expected to start before the 2027-28 financial year. Pickleball users are currently only allowed to use one of the centre’s courts between 9am and 11am on weekdays, with the centre court only available for basketball and netball use, and the other court used by Eaton Community College during school hours. With the courts being “practically fully booked” from 4pm onwards on weeknights during the netball and basketball seasons, council voted to work with the centre’s pickleball users to give them more use of the facility during “off-peak” times. Shire president Tyrrell Gardiner said the petitioners’ feedback has been taken into consideration. “We’ve certainly got some plans in that we would like to expand the Rec Centre but it’s going to take a bit of time to get through that,” he said. “We’re received their petition, we’ve taken it on board and it’s certainly part of the plan for the future.”