Reading Pickleball Players Association

• Dec 2023 - present. Continuing to advocate with the town, boards and committees

• Nov 2023. Withdrew citizen's petition for pickleball at Symond's way pending decisions to be made about Symond's Way property

• Oct 2023. Memorial Park was named #6 in the US and Canada for number of pickleball sessions booked on Playtime Scheduler. Presented again to Symonds Way Exploratory Committee (SWEC) and got on agenda for a November Recreation Committee meeting.

• Sep 2023.  RPPA advised by Select Board to create Citizen's Petition to be voted on in November town meeting, informally discussed proposal at Recreation Committee meeting, presented to Select Board and Financial Forum

• July 2023. Symonds Way Exploratory Committee (SWEC) advised RPPA to modify proposal to request "temporary courts", as land use decisions are pending

• Summer 2023. Location proposed by the Ice Arena and RPPA for dedicated Pickleball courts at Symonds Way

• Spring/early Summer 2023. Pickleball courts removed from designs in the approved Birch Meadow Master Plan

• March 2023. Noise concerns end discussion of play at neighborhood courts

• March 2023. Community Day 200+ participants in introduction of Pickleball

• January 2023. Reading Pickleball Players Association formed to raise funds for Pickleball

• Sep 2022. Permission granted to chalk at Washington Park for the fall. No neighborhood complaints during play at that time. 

• June 2021. Semi-permanent nets installed at Memorial Park

• January 2021. Master Plan For Birch Meadow Complex published with Pickleball courts in Phase 2

• July 2020. Pickleball play allowed to return with rules on numbers of players

• March 2020. Covid shuts courts down

• July 2018. Courts lined for dual use at Memorial Park

• June 2017. Permission to chalk lines at Memorial Park

• September 2016. Defunct volleyball court at Birch Meadow repaved and lined as 4 substandard courts

• Winter 2013. Pickleball introduced in Reading by Peter Sullivan; indoor play and lessons

Greetings everyone, it has been a good year for outdoor sports of all kinds. A group of pickleball players formed and  incorporated the Reading Pickleball Players Association in January. We had a kick off fundraiser  in March 2023 to introduce RPPA to the Reading community. Our focus has been, and will continue to be, getting dedicated pickleball courts built in Reading.  

The sport is growing fast, as I’m sure you all are aware and courts are in short supply at the most popular times. When I first started playing on the old volleyball court there were maybe 35 people playing in Reading. About this time the volleyball court was repaved and lines were painted to create 4 (sub-standard) pickleball courts. Quickly the number of players grew to close to 100. In 2018 we were able to get the courts at Memorial Park dual lines for both Tennis and Pickleball and the growth continued.  

Covid, of course, had an impact on the sport, but after the initial shutdown phase, being outside with natural distancing was attractive to many new players. It is hard to estimate how many players are in town now but the RPPA email distribution list that is just getting started is over 400.  

RPPA’s first event in  March sold out in less than a day and the lessons sold out in minutes.  It is fun to see adults and children of all ages getting together to be active and social. I’ve made so many new friends and renewed so many relationships with people in town.

Pickleball is easy to learn and difficult to master which makes it a great sport for all ages regardless of skill level or athletic ability. You just need to find a group at roughly your level and have fun. 

The Reading Pickleball Players Association (RPPA) is dedicated to advancing pickleball and raising funds to help build dedicated courts. We strive to be good neighbors with everyone in town, especially our racquet friends in Tennis. While dual use courts at Memorial Park are great, they are in such high demand that very little tennis is played there. This is why we really need dedicated courts for pickleball. Courts that do not take away from tennis and do not add noise and congestion to quiet neighborhoods. 

Phase 2 of the Birch Meadow Master Plan included 8 pickleball courts near the existing sub-standard courts and basketball court.These were removed from the plan and replaced with basketball courts out of concerns for noise and congestion, (as well as foul balls).

We are working with the town to identify a location where courts can be constructed that will not impact our neighborhoods. We feel that the ideal location is near the Burbank Ice Arena, on the far side of the building, off Haverhill St on Symonds Way. This will require coordination with the Ice Authority, the Select Board and the Reading Recreation division. 

RPPA is poised to raise substantial funds for these courts once a location is identified.

See you on the courts.

- Mike Coltman, RPPA President