Pickleball-related death has Windsor club pushing for improvements at WFCU Centre

The Windsor Pickleball Club is lobbying for better equipment — and it's willing to pay for it.

It's asking the city for permission to provide better nets and better flooring at the WFCU Centre where there are three indoor pickleball courts.

But the club also wants the city to pay for padding the wall on one end of the gym where pickleball is played.

That after a man died from hitting his head on the wall earlier this year.

Patrick Brown is the president of the Windsor Pickleball Club and says the current nets at the WFCU Centre are not permanent so they don't hold up to regular use. He also doesn't like the floor.

"There's multiple lines on the floor. There's actually quite a glare from the lights that make it difficult to see the see the ball and even the colour of the floor," said Brown.

Brown said the pickleball club would pay for the new nets and a floor which rolls out in sections.

"The nets and the floorings would probably cost north of $40,000," he said, adding they would only want some discount on the user fees for the facility.

He says the gym is used by pickelball players about 90 per cent of the time.

"The nets would be a heavy duty frame 22-foot long. They are on wheels that can be raised and lowered so when in use the wheels are raised out of the way. The system sits flat on the floor and when it's time to remove them you simply lift it, the wheels pop in place and it can be wheeled into the storage room and out of the way," said Brown.

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The club would like the city to purchase padding to put on one of the walls in the gym that is a hard cinder block.

In June, one member died from a brain injury after he hit his head on the wall.

Club member Cory Gatrall believes putting padding on the wall would be a great idea.