Long Island’s Newest Attraction

SPORTIME in Port Washington is Long Island’s newest addition to the growing pickleball scene. With a facility already in operation in nearby Roslyn, SPORTIME has plans to open roughly 200 courts in dedicated pickleball clubs in the near future.

Before SPORTIME began leasing and renovating the Port Washington property, pickleball was limited, played on tennis courts with blended lines and in very poor conditions. When SPORTIME assumed management of the site—and part of an $8.5 million renovation project that followed—four existing hard-surface, oversized tennis courts that were housed in a dedicated building were transformed into 12 state-of-the-art dedicated pickleball courts, creating a new facility that local pickleball enthusiasts fully embraced.

“Our members and players have access to all our clubs, so the larger opportunity was to offer our members and guests 12 dedicated pickleball courts, all within a 15-minute radius of where they live and work. That seemed like a no-brainer to us, and it was,” says Joe Siegel, senior managing director, SPORTIME Clubs and SPORTIME Pickleball.

Long Island has always been a hotbed for racket sports, and now the interest in pickleball is on the upswing and mirroring the growth across the country. “The number of commercial indoor facilities is growing steadily, and with increasing density, as is the number of outdoor courts provided by municipalities,” added Siegel. “We are about to open a 13-court facility in Westbury, in the heart of Nassau County, to the southeast of our Port Washington location.”

The club in Port Washington and many of the other SPORTIME locations offer amazing facilities for pickleball. Features include 30- to 40-foot-high ceilings, LED reflective lighting, dedicated courts with divider fencing and padding, ample seating and social spaces, and year-round climate and humidity control.

The low-cost monthly pickleball memberships offer a variety of great benefits, including advance court time reservation privileges, discounts on programming, free monthly clinics and open-play sessions, and reciprocity at all SPORTIME clubs that offer pickleball. However, Siegel notes that “membership is not required to play at our clubs, though most frequent players choose to be members, and all are welcome.”

SPORTIME Pickleball offers a wide variety of social, instructional, and competitive programs as well, including highly successful men’s and women’s leagues during daytime and evening hours. Levels of play range from advanced beginner to advanced, with the most popular leagues at the intermediate and advanced intermediate levels. Tournaments and special events will be held throughout the year, with a recent “Pickleball Rocks” party featuring a live band playing on one of the courts while more than 70 players competed on surrounding courts.

“We have also secured Platinum Partnerships with some of the largest pickleball equipment companies in the country—Selkirk, Diadem and Joola,” adds Siegel. “All three companies wanted to be part of our growth and have provided tremendous support through the sponsorship of special events, by providing the latest paddles for demo and for sale in our pro shops, and by supporting our initiative to introduce the game to young children through our just-launched Junior Pickleball Academy.”  •