When Eric Jacobson moved to Austin from Eden Prairie a couple of years ago, he wanted to find a way to stay active and meet new people. Lucky for Jacobson, he came across a group of Austin pickle ball enthusiasts who meet up twice a week on Monday’s and Wednesday’s at Neveln Elementary to play the sport they love.

After a few learning moments, Jacobson picked up the sport and he’s now come to embrace it as he plays it as much as he can.

“I’d never played before, but I’ve met some great people. The pickle ball community is super nice and inviting to people. They taught me the rules and it was all over from there. I was hooked,” Jacobson said. “It’s a competitive game and people win, but in the end it’s about getting to know people and meeting new friends. It’s a very social sport and it’s welcoming to all ages.”

Players of all ages have shown up to the courts at Neveln this summer and the sport could grow even more next summer. The Austin City Council recently approved a plan to bring regulation pickle ball courts to Rotary Park and the project, which was assisted by Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Kim Underwood, is under review to be approved by the Hormel Foundation. A final decision will be made on the project in January.

Bob Silbaugh, who regularly plays pickle ball, said that the Neveln courts don’t have regulation nets for pickle ball and the new courts would allow Austin to host tournaments.

“It would be a great addition to the Austin community,” Silbaugh said. “This is the fastest growing sport in the United State. In Austin it’s probably the fastest going sport, especially among the youth and adults. All ages are starting to play it now.”

Elizabeth Avery of Austin is one of the younger players who shows up regularly to play pickle ball and she said she was able to pick up the sport rather quickly. She’s also been able to make new friendships by showing up and playing twice a week.

“I just picked it up and I’ve been coming for the last couple of months. It’s been fun,” Avery said. “I’m one of the younger ones and sometimes they say that they keep me around just to go get the ball and keep score since I have the memory capacity, but they’re willing to teach me and whenever I make a mistake, they correct it. I’ve had no bad experiences here.”

DeAnne Silbaugh has been a big supporter of pickle ball since the group began playing a few years ago. She’s always looking for new players to come and join the group.

“The people that do play love it,” DeAnne said. “They’re obsessed with it.”