Sarnia's new pickleball hub is attracting nationwide attention.
City council has agreed to underwrite the fee for one of Canada's leading sports travel event companies to manage the "Canadian Pickleball Series - Sarnia Cup" next fall.
Councillor Brian White said he was impressed with the business case and quality of the organization offering to host the event.
"We don't very often see a time where a new sport takes off as quickly and flourishes as much as this sport in the last five years," said White. "It came out of nowhere. But people are travelling for this now and it's becoming a very competitive sport."
White said pickleball is also very inclusive from a recreational standpoint.
"I just think the tourism out of this, the opportunity to establish ourselves early as a destination, is too good to pass up," he said.
Parks and Recreation Director Rob Harwood said he expects sponsorship will end up covering the $35,000 fee.
"If we have success with the MAT [Municipal Accommodation] Tax, then in the future these types of events will be funded through that," said Harwood.
He said the city was approached by representatives from Sports Travel Experts who were "intrigued" by the recent development at Blackwell Park this past June.
Harwood said the Blackwell courts would serve as headquarters for the three to four day, double-elimination tournament, in September 2020.
It's expected existing pickleball courts at Cathcart Park, Linden Park and Germain Park would also be utilized for the event, featuring all age and skill levels.
Tourism Sarnia-Lambton has committed $5,000 from its marketing and sponsorship fund to help offset the event fee.