The company that brings the biggest alternative and mainstream rock acts to Chicago for the annual Lollapalooza festival is doing is doing its part to boost city residents’ access to pickleball.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that C3 Presents, the company that organizes Lollapalooza each year, is donating $500,000 to the Chicago Park District. The park district will use this money to build new pickleball courts and refurbish existing tennis courts in Grant Park.
A big move
This is an important step in boosting the visibility of pickleball in Chicago: Grant Park, which boasts an impressive 319 acres, acts a bit like the city’s front yard. The sprawling park is located along Chicago’s famed Lake Shore Drive and is one of the busiest sites for both residents and tourists.
Placing new pickleball courts here will almost certainly provide a boost in attention for the growing sport.
Chicago is also in need of additional pickleball courts. As the Sun-Times reports, most pickleball players in Chicago play on tennis courts. That has caused sometimes strained relations with tennis players who worry that picklers will suck up their court space. The city, then, can use as many new courts as possible.
The plans
The C3 Presents donation will be turned into a minimum of eight new dedicated pickleball courts in Grant Park, according to the Chicago Park District. The district will also use the funds to turn six existing tennis courts into pickleball courts.
The park district says that is will start the construction and rehab project in the spring.
Earlier this year, the Sun-Times reported that the Chicago Park District will add at least 50 new pickleball courts across the city during the next three years.
