THOMASVILLE — During last month’s City Council meeting several individuals addressed the need for additional pickleball courts. On Monday, three players from the pickleball community followed up on this request, expressing frustrations over the long wait times and lack of court care.

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. It combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong.

Played on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net, the game uses solid paddles and a hollow plastic ball.

For many, it has been considered more than just a game. It has become a growing movement reshaping how people connect, stay active, and build stronger communities. It can be defined as a lifestyle, bringing people together, empowering youth, and strengthening neighborhoods.

This can certainly be said for those in Thomasville, who spoke on the friendships they have crafted through pickleball, reiterating the need for additional courts.

Kari Neal, who moved to Thomasville 7.5 years ago, recalled her first time seeing people play pickleball early in her move.

“I thought how fun it looked, being a former athlete,” she said.

Neal quickly fell in love with the game, saying she met more people in her time playing pickleball than she has in her time living in Thomasville.

At the time, the group was playing at the Remington YMCA pickleball courts.

Now, with the courts under duress, Neal said they are unplayable.

The group has since moved, but with such a large group they have outgrown the courts available to them.

“There is a lot of waiting,” she said. “There is more sitting and waiting than there is playing.”

Aaron Reneau is an active member of the pickleball community, often trying to get her young teens involved in the activity and encouraging her adopted Thomas University students to play.

“They love it because it keeps them active in their offseason,” she said. “But, during many of the peak times on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays all of the courts are full with 10-30 people waiting.”

Cory Wise, the Executive Director at Goalline Ministries at TU spoke more on this, telling the Council what a blessing pickleball has been for his students.

TU started a pickleball club last year, which has been described as a wonderful opportunity for students to come out to engage with faculty and staff.

“It’s something that’s different from what they’ve been training in,” he said. “It gives them a break from the 5-6 days a week they practice.”

In addition to giving them a break, it connects the students with other locals.

“It has opened the door for mentorship,” Wise said. “Pickleball is not just about the activity; it’s a connection point that helps us bridge gaps.”

Wise said he has loved being able to see people come together and experience the same great time regardless of age, gender, and race while advancing the health of the community.

“We have international students saying they wish they had something like this in their hometown,” Wise said. “I would love to see them stay here because of things like this and more.”

Wise asked the Council to help make this possible by adding additional courts.

Reneau added to Wise’s plea, sharing that additional courts would help with the waiting times and would allow for tournaments to be played in Thomasville.

She said she has heard previous comments that tournaments were not successful, but knows it can be difficult to host a successful tournament with limited court space.

Councilman Royal Baker understood the resident’s concerns and shared he had been in contact with other counties on how they funded their pickleball courts and continued to upkeep them.

For instance, Baker learned Moultrie has a 1.92 millage rate property tax from Parks & Recreation to fund activities and new courts.

The City of Thomasville relies heavily on SPLOST (specialized local option sales tax), but more than half of the SPLOST funds are used on road resurfacing, leaving little for new projects that have not been previously budgeted.

However, Baker assured that he and his fellow City Council members will continue to have conversations and look for avenues to help construct additional courts.