London Inc. Summer 2021 - 22

Upfront Sports & Recreation
RAISING A RACQUET
Looking to address a shortfall of
playing facilities, a grassroots group
takes a swing at building support for a
$15- million centre dedicated to racquet
and paddle sports
UNLIKE KEVIN COSTNER in Field of Dreams, Murray Shaw
figures they've already come, so it's time to get building.
Shaw, a former number-one ranked junior squash player
in Canada (and retired founder of Murray Shaw Roofing), is
spearheading a grassroots effort to build a community centre
dedicated to various racquet and paddle sports - pickleball (a
paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table
tennis and tennis) and squash in particular.
" I started playing pickleball nearly three years ago, and I
was shocked at the lack of facilities in London, " he says. " But
people are desperate to play, so they play at facilities that
aren't all that great. "
For now, the SouthWestern Ontario Pickleball & Squash
Centre (www.swopsc.ca) is but a gleam in the eye of Shaw and
a keen group of organizers and supporters. A group of nine
constitute a steering committee whose first order of business
is to commission a feasibility study, with an estimated cost
of $20,000.
A call for donations to cover the study has been met with
enthusiasm, both from individuals and businesses. That will
be the easy part. The demand for pickleball courts is growing
across North America, and many places are adding courts.
The City of London has installed a few courts around the city,
added pickleball lines to some of its existing tennis courts and
has pledged to consider pickleball in its long-range planning.
SWOPS Centre steering
committee chair,
Murray Shaw, and
pickleball representative,
Sharon Scarfone
squash, you've got Padel, the fastest-growing sport in the
world. "
Padel is a hybrid mix of pickleball and tennis. But that's only
" WE WANT TO BUILD A FACILITY FOR ALL
AGES SUPPORTING A VARIETY OF SPORTS,
SOME OF WHICH ARE NEW TO THIS
AREA BUT ARE GROWING AROUND THE
WORLD " -Murray Shaw
That's all well and good, but Shaw says the thousands
of racquet and paddle sport players in and around London
deserve a dedicated, indoor centre that provides coaching and
support. If the facility operates as a regional training centre,
it could qualify for ongoing funding from organizations such
as Squash Ontario and Pickleball Ontario.
" We want to build a facility for all ages supporting a variety
of sports, some of which are new to this area but are growing
around the world, " he says. " In addition to pickleball and
22 | londonincmagazine.ca | SUMMER 2021
the start. Lesser-known sports such as wallyball (volleyball
on a squash court), squash 57 (a form of racquetball) and
squickleball (a mix of squash and pickleball) could all be
played at the facility Shaw and his supporters envision.
The blue-sky version of SWOPSC is a $15-million facility
on five acres in Southwest London. It
would house 12 pickleball courts and
eight squash courts - all indoor - along
with a kitchen and licensed lounge.
It's a big dream, but Shaw is taking a
long approach, with a phased-in building
plan, a 25-year budget and a hope
to entice a developer to get behind the
project.
He's cagey about exactly what he's
looking for, but it boils down to a couple of options: Either a
piece of land at a reduced cost or some kind of lease-to-own
financing arrangement with the developer building the facility
at something close to cost. Shaw says there's interest from
more than one party and acknowledges without such support
it will be difficult to build.
" I know it's magic thinking, " he says. " But if everything
works perfectly, we could start construction in the fall of next
year. "
CHRISTOPHER CLARK
http://www.swopsc.ca http://www.londonincmagazine.ca
London Inc. Summer 2021

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