A pickleball-related death prompted the Windsor club to make improvements to the WFCU Center

Windsor Pickleball Club is lobbying for better equipment and is willing to pay for it.

He is asking the city for permission to provide better nets and a better floor at the WFCU Center, which has three indoor pickleball courts.

But the club also wants the city to pay to pad the wall on one side of the gymnasium where pickleball games are played.

This comes after a man died after hitting his head against a wall earlier this year.

Patrick Brown, president of the Windsor Pickleball Club, says the current nets at the WFCU Center are not durable, so they cannot withstand regular use. He doesn’t like the floor either.

“There are a lot of lines on the floor. The lights are so reflective that it’s hard to see the ball or even the color of the floor,” Brown said.

Brown said the pickleball club will pay for new nets and a floor that will be put down in sections.

“The netting and flooring will probably cost over $40,000,” he said, adding that they just want some discount on facility fees.

He says pickelball players use the gym about 90 percent of the time.

“The nets would have a heavy-duty 22-foot frame. They are on wheels that can be raised and lowered, so that when in use the wheels are raised out of the way. The system sits flat on the floor and when it’s time to remove it, you just lift it up, the wheels snap into place and you can wheel it into storage and get it out of the way,” Brown said.

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The man died in June as a result of a brain injury while playing

The club would like the city to purchase a lining for one of the walls of the gymnasium, i.e. hard cinder blocks.

In June, one member died of a brain injury after hitting his head against a wall.

Club member Cory Gatrall thinks putting padding on the wall would be a great idea.

“When you want to hit a lob, you go back, you lose momentum and you hit the wall,” Gatrall said.

“You have to take extra precautions with older people playing,” said Norm Bisson, who knew the slain man and said he was in his 80s.

“I think it’s a great idea. Many people have already fallen and hit their heads against the wall, including some who had to go to hospital and, worse still, actually died,” said club member Tracey Heslop.

Jen Knights, executive director of recreation and culture, told the city council on Monday that they are investigating the cost of the padding.

“We worked with the risk management department to analyze options for equipping the WFCU Center gymnasium, as well as our other facilities. “Typically, if we want to do something at one facility from a risk management standpoint, we consider doing it at all of them,” the Knights said.

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However, Knights says other programs may be affected and it will take time to put the padding on and off.

She believes the costs will be significant.

The council voted to investigate the fill within the budget deadline.

“We are pleased that the city council listened to our request and considered our proposal,” Brown said.