New Pickleball Courts Open In Wakefield

WAKEFIELD, MA — A new set of pickleball courts opened for play on Tuesday morning in Wakefield, capping a project that saw the town reconstruct and expand a set of preexisting tennis courts in the area.

The MacKenna Courts are located at Veterans Field overlooking Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield. They’re now open to the public.

Interested pickleball players can reserve time on the courts online through the program, Play Local.

Reservations are free for residents and $20-per-hour for non-residents, though everyone using Play Local will need to add credit card information to determine their residency.

While players don’t need to reserve court time to play, those who do make a reservation will have priority at the facility, the Wakefield Recreation Department said in a message on Tuesday announcing the courts’ opening.

The courts currently do not have nets installed. Players can either bring their own net or rent one through Play Local.

Net rentals cost $10 per hour. Reserving a net online will give players a code to access a lock box at the courts containing their net.

Courts are currently only open for pickleball due to the lack of tennis nets.

“We hope you enjoy this beautiful new facility and look forward to continued improvements,” the Recreation Department wrote on Tuesday.

The pickleball project dates back to at least February of 2021, when plans came before the Wakefield Conservation Commission.

The project was then delayed from its original planned opening day last fall as the town handled a series of concerns about runoff into Lake Quannapowitt, among other things.

The finished project includes a number of drainage improvements around the courts themselves, according to Town Administrator Stephen Maio.

Pickleball is a sport that involves players using a paddle to hit a ball, similar to a whiffle ball, back and forth over a net. The sport is similar to elements of tennis and badminton.

While the new courts at Veterans’ Field will remain focused on pickleball, town officials recently highlighted other existing facilities for Wakefield community members interested in playing tennis.

Courts at Wakefield High School are among those options, Maio wrote in a community newsletter earlier this year.

Related:

New Pickleball Courts Set To Open Soon In Wakefield