On Wednesday July 16, Acting Minister for Community Sport, Gayle Tierney announced 827 grants amassing over $1 million for sport clubs around Victoria.
The Trafalgar Park Community Hub was granted $4,000 to introduce pickleball into the local community.
A cross between badminton, tennis and table tennis, pickleball is a sport for all ages and abilities that can be played in singles or doubles, indoors or outdoors.
Secretary of the hub Raewyn McMahon says it is “one of the fastest growing sports in the world.”
McMahon says she had seen the popularity of pickleball and was excited to introduce it into Trafalgar, saying it will be a “pretty cool” thing to offer to the community.
She is looking forward to creating a “great little club.”
Instructor Michael Murrell is equally as excited to see pickleball introduced into Trafalgar.
A seasoned pickleball player himself, having played in many tournaments, Murrell encourages everyone to give pickleball a try.
Though it is a sport commonly played amongst an older demographic, Murrell is hoping to see younger players get involved in the sport to create a “different style” of play.
The grant money will cover facilitation, advertising and the creation of a booking system. The money will also cover the purchasing of equipment.
Pickleball will be available to play socially from Tuesday September 16, from 6:00-7:30pm at the Trafalgar Tennis Club.
For more information and updates, please visit the ‘TCH Pickle Ball’ Facebook page.
