Tillsonburg Pickleball Club

Newsletter #1

Hello fellow Tillsonburg Pickleball Club members. What a week it has been. It started last Monday April 22^nd, in packed room with a great group of pickleball enthusiasts. We were so lucky to have had Alison Baron and John Hindle, president of the Niagara on the Lake Pickleball Club Inc to share their knowledge with us all. We couldn’t be more excited to grow pickleball in our town going forward and we are truly thankful to John and Alison to help us launch what will work for Tillsonburg and area citizens.

So what has happened since Monday…

• First and foremost, we have officially 42 Members. That is amazing. And, there is ongoing interest and inquiries about the club on a daily basis
• We have reached out to our local recreation department
• We have also reached out to our local newspaper and neighboring communities
• A meeting has been arranged with the Tillsonburg Recreation Department on Wednesday May 1^st to forge a relationship and create a plan going forward
• The Steering Committee is meeting to develop a vision and a strategic plan including planning for our first annual general meeting that you will all be invited to
• Lastly, we continue to explore the grant that Ontario Pickleball Association will offer new clubs called Plant the Seeds. This initiative is designed to support member clubs in launching two key programs: Learn the Game Initiative and/or Youth Programming.

I’m sure we will have even more information to share the following weeks and it is our intent to keep you informed as much as possible. It takes a village to raise a pickleball community and we are so grateful that you will be a part of the journey!

Diane Peacock, Steering Committee Chair

Welcome to Tillsonburg Pickleball Club!!!!

We are very excited to grow this fun interactive sport in our town. Tillsonburg Pickleball Club is a non-profit club, and an official member club of Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Ontario. Currently, we are the only Pickleball club in Tillsonburg

 Membership fees are a total of only $30 annually:$10 Tillsonburg Pickleball Club  $10 Pickleball Canada  $10 Pickleball Ontario    Included in the fees are members and club insurance.If you are already a member of Pickleball Ontario, you only pay the $10 to add Tillsonburg Pickleball Club as one of your clubs.Please Note that Membership fees are non-refundable from all 3 entities, so please consider that before you join.

Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Ontario offers Tillsonburg Pickleball Club members many benefits including allowing you to register for tournaments with other members, insurance for both clubs and members, training video and a host of socials throughout the year. Be a part of the future of pickleball in Tillsonburg

Tillsonburg Pickleball Club aims to grow this sport, in fun interactive ways for all citizens!

First Meeting and Info Session - John Verbakel

Much like everywhere in North America, interest in pickleball in Tillsonburg is exploding. On Monday, April 22, the steering committee of the newly formed Tillsonburg Pickleball club, held a meeting in the Town Centre mall, which was attended by 65 enthusiastic, prospective club members. Steering committee president Diane Peacock enthusiastically welcomed everyone in the room packed to capacity.

Alison Baron and John Hindle, president of the Niagara on the Lake Pickleball Club Inc. were invited to speak with the group. Their organization dealing with a similar population to Tillsonburg, started in 2016 with 30 members and has mushroomed to over 600 through a culture of inclusion, partnerships with local government and private sector and many volunteers to foster their growth.

Hindle spoke about his club’s journey and provided the Tillsonburg and surrounding area participants with insights on how to make their own decisions on what might be considered for their own situation. As well, he emphasized the importance of partnerships and that pickleball clubs need to educate local governments and interested partners on the potential income streams that would be mutually beneficial.

Hindle used the analogy of the Titanic when making decisions about growth. He said that most of us who have access to some sort of playing facility are already in the lifeboats, however there is a majority of those in local communities who are still on the ship or in the water because there just aren’t enough courts. Their club decided to provide more lifeboats to allow everyone in as opposed to closing off membership to an exclusive few, and thus over 600 members. Club play happens in four different sites.

It appears that a major benefit of joining the club is to acquire the liability insurance required by prospective playing sites, outside of community courts and allow players to use those potential facilities. In addition, the club would, in negotiation with the town, provide appropriate scheduling, balls, coaching supporting and a host of other benefits.

Hindle talked about all the advantages of becoming a formal club and being affiliated with the provincial pickleball organization and how that might be relevant to the group in attendance. By the conclusion of yesterday’s meeting a large number of the 65 in attendance had already signed up online to become an official club member.

Plans are now underway to formalize the Tillsonburg Pickleball Club by establishing an executive so that the important work of growing pickleball playing opportunities will continue to match the speed with which this popular sport is growing.

If you are interested in joining the Tillsonburg Pickleball Club, go to http://www.pickleballcanada.org/club/tillsonburgpickleballclub