Open to serve: New pickleball courts open

“It’s not just a game,” Kim DeLong, co-owner of Dayton Metro Pickleball, said of the sport. “It's a community.”

Opening to serve on May 24, DeLong said the ribbon cutting drew roughly 300 community members and lasted over 12 hours — from noon all the way to midnight. This is just the DeLongs getting started, however.

Dayton Metro Pickleball is launching with three full courts, creating space not only for traditional matches but also for those playing singles, performing warm-ups or training, via their additional half court. With plans to expand as the business grows, however, the owners have a strong drive both across the net and in their mission to make pickleball more accessible to the greater Dayton area.

It’s a mission that began two years ago, when DeLong and her husband began searching for pickleball facilities to fuel their own love of the sport. 

“At the time, you know, we were decently new to pickleball, but as (with) all new pickleball players, we were very quickly addicted,” DeLong said. “And there's no indoor pickleball facilities in the greater Dayton area.” When the opportunity to buy the Miller Lane property arose, the DeLongs chose to create a space of their own, moving their matches from rented tennis courts to a dedicated pickleball location. The community outpouring the couple has experienced has only proven their belief that others desired a similar place to play.

“Pickleball is a very social sport,” DeLong said. And for her, at the end of the day, Dayton Metro Pickleball is meant to be a very social place, welcoming all levels of skill and commitment into a place to truly call home. Dayton Metro Pickleball is located at 6205 Miller Ln. Dayton, and online at https://daytonmetropickleball.com/. To follow them on Instagram, visit their profile page @daytonmetropb.