Pickleball Courts Open for Play at Mead Park in New Canaan

The pickleball craze has reached Mead Park in New Canaan.

The surging popularity of the relatively new racquet sport convinced the town to replace the one tennis court at Mead Park with five new pickleball courts, which are now open for play.

But don’t expect to lace up the tennies and head out to the courts for a match. That’s because the town has instituted a strict reservation policy to manage the use of the courts, ensuring that all residents have equal access to them. Daily reservations can be made from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting. 

Here’s how to register so you can make a reservation on one of the new courts:

• If you already have a current 2021 Mead Park tennis or high school tennis court account, you can use that account information to make a reservation.

Everyone else must create an account by following these directions:

• Go here and click CREATE AN ACCOUNT.
• When the application is submitted, an account will be created. Within 24 hours, the applicant will receive an email with a username and password.
• Applicants can then go here to make a court reservation.

Only New Canaan residents can use the pickleball courts. Guests must be accompanied by a New Canaan resident.

For people who are not familiar with the game, pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong and is played by 2 or 4 players on a court that is the same size as a badminton court.

Tennis hasn’t been completely eliminated from the park. A hitting wall will be installed at the south end of the new pickleball courts so tennis players can practice.