Regional
matters
continued
Anthem, Arizona
Pickleball
Community of Anthem, AZ, Unveils
New Pickleball Complex
W
hat started out
as an ambitious
dream in 2014
in Anthem, AZ, is now a
spectacular reality. Ten
state-of-the-art, lighted
pickleball courts were
recently unveiled and
opened for play.
Anthem is a unique
family-oriented, master-
planned community that
covers nearly 10 square
miles of desert foothills
about 20 miles north of
downtown Phoenix. With more than 10,000 homes, Anthem
provides “small town” qualities near big-city resources.
Always on the lookout to keep Anthem a desirable place to
live, in May 2017, the Anthem City Council (after much hard
work and community support) approved the building of 10
permanent courts, with expansion possibilities.
The community of Anthem always does things right. One
of the goals from the outset was that “the courts need to be
world-class.” The city’s motto is “Life in Abundance”—one the
council takes seriously. Elite Sports Builders and architect
EMC2 regard their Anthem facility as the jewel in the
crown of their many pickleball projects.
The community’s pickleball club, Anthem AZ Pickleball
Club (AAZPC), started in 2016 with a goal of building
permanent courts. In just three short years, the club has
grown to more than 250 active, loyal members with new
players joining every day. Boro Reljic (the first president)
and Barb Patterson (current president) have seen the club
blossom and develop into a
vibrant group of social and
tournament-level players.
The energy and enthusiasm
of its members has been
given a real boost with the
opening of the new courts.
The new pickleball courts
have state-of-the-art LED
lighting that some say
looks better than daylight, a
complete security system,
and a functional seating
area with sun shades to
guard against the hot
summer sun. AAZPC
members play all year long. The courts were designed
with an eye to hosting tournaments in the future and feature
wide, individual courts with lower fencing for ideal viewing.
These courts are not just for retired folk—kids have
joined the ranks and the courts are seeing a lot of
family play. In fact, some dedicated Anthem High School
students attend the courts every day to offer “Guided
Play” to other juniors and adults beginning in the sport.
It’s a true community wide sport that has so much
potential to grow even more in the foreseeable future.
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