A man who said he represents an ever-growing group of pickleball enthusiasts in Niles said he wants to see real pickleball courts built in his home city.

In the public comment portion of Monday’s Niles City Council meeting, Myles Nugent asked the council to consider installing/building permanent courts for the paddle sport, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong.

Nugent said there are approximately 150 people in the Niles area playing pickleball regularly who would benefit from the addition. Currently, pickleball players are forced to use temporary courts — often modified tennis courts — if they want to play in the City of Niles.

“We go back and forth, from place to place and would like to see something more permanent,” he said, adding that other communities in Berrien County already have pickleball courts.

“I understand that there is a problem with funding, but there is a problem with funding for everything … we’ve got people traveling away from here to spend their money elsewhere.”

When asked if he had a location in mind for the court, Nugent said the parking lot area behind the old public safety building near the boat docks in Riverfront Park would work.

“It has virtually no use right now,” he said.

According to the USA Pickleball Association, approximately 400,000 people are actively playing pickleball. It is played on a court that is the same size as a badminton court, or 20 feet by 44 feet.

Nugent said the parking lot would have to be resurfaced in order to make it a true pickleball court.

While no action was taken, councilwoman Georgia Boggs said she’d like to pursue the matter further.

Councilman Dan VandenHeede said he can confirm that there is a large and active group of pickleball players in Niles who have attended parks board meetings in the past. He said the parking lot area Nugent mentioned is an underutilized space that would be a good spot for a pickleball court, although finding funding for such a project could be an issue.

Nugent also invited the council to attend Niles’ first organized pickleball tournament Saturday at Plym Park. It is being held in conjunction with Niles Trails & Ales Festivus, which runs Saturday and Sunday in and around Riverfront Park.

For more information about pickleball in the greater Niles area, visit the website swmichpickleball.org.