Pickleball Sheffield: Plans approved to convert Attercliffe unit into courts for 'fastest growing sport in US'

Solihull-based company Peak Pickleball Ltd has been given the greenlight to overhaul the empty building on Newhall Road, near the junction with Normal Road.

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Pickleball has been called “the fastest growing sport in the US”, and planning papers claim there are only two dedicated courts in England.

Meanwhile, several clubs exist in Sheffield by playing out of community halls and sports centres.

Pickleball England describes the game as “a fun sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis” played using wooden paddles and a plastic ball over a net.

The sport’s popularity has exploded since 2020 in the US and in Britain as an inclusive, low-intensity sport requiring little-to-no specialised equipment.

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The industrial unit in Attercliffe would be converted into three dedicated indoor courts with toilets and up to 12 parking spaces, and open between 9am and 9pm Monday to Friday.

Planning papers read: “The facility will contribute positively to local sporting infrastructure, providing an accessible venue for a rapidly growing sport, whilst also serving as a hub for social interaction, physical well-being, and community engagement.

“We will employ coaches on a regular basis, increasing employment in the region. All staff will receive Pickleball England leader’s training, level 1 certification for coaching, safeguarding, DBS checks and health and safety training.

“There are only 2 dedicated pickleball centres in England, we would be the only business providing this service in Sheffield.

“The pickleball centre would form part of the established ‘sports boulevard’ including the English Institute of Sport, the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, the Olympic Legacy Park, Sheffield Ice, along with numerous climbing walls nearby.”

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