The New West Pickleball Club had a humble yet inspiring beginning. Founded in 2022 by Debby Morgan, Marion Bonner, Hazel Padula, Kelly Cannon, and Bernita Boersma, our mission was clear: to advocate for more opportunities to play pickleball in New Westminster. Many people worked tirelessly to persuade the City to allocate more pickleball time at community centres and outdoor courts, but progress was slow.

We realized that to make a real impact we needed organization and numbers.

Based on my previous experience creating the Nanaimo Pickleball Club in 2010 for the exact same reasons, we set out to create a club that could unite pickleball enthusiasts and give us a stronger voice in advocating for our sport.

Before we fully established ourselves, fate intervened in the form of a non-profit group called RE-Food. We teamed up with them to organize a fundraising tournament and together we raised an impressive $1,500 for their cause. This initial success showed us what we could achieve when we come together.

Determined to continue our progress, we were lucky to recruit Vandy Britton and Liz Hoath. We approached the New Westminster Parks and Recreation with a comprehensive presentation outlining our goals. They made it clear that to have a meaningful impact we needed to be affiliated with provincial and national organizations. We swiftly joined Pickleball BC and Pickleball Canada Organization and initiated the process of becoming a not-for-profit club recognized by the BC Government.

We started with 15 members. We grew steadily and we are thrilled to report that we now boast 170 dedicated members in our club. 

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Debby Morgan
Past President, Founding Member