With the opening of the Fairgrounds Public Racket Club at the old Mercedes-Benz dealership at 849 Eglinton Ave. East, Leasiders can now dive into Canada’s fastest growing sports – pickleball and padel – in an accessible way.
As developers hold the reins on construction until economic conditions improve, many are converting their sites into other, temporary uses. The new Leaside club is just one of these.
Founded in 2022, the company behind the latest P&P court, Fairgrounds, already has established clubs in Toronto at Yonge near Rosedale, the Stackt Market, as well as Cloverdale Mall. Clearly a going concern, the company also has venues in Vaughan and Vancouver with plans to expand to Kingston, Whitby, Red Deer and Halifax later this year as they capitalize on a hot trend that shows no signs of cooling.
Fairgrounds describes itself as representing “a new era wherein sports clubs are democratized to include anyone who wants to be active, regardless of age, athletic ability or socioeconomic status.”
Unlike other racket clubs, membership at Fairgrounds is free. Sign up online to reserve courts and participate in a variety of social and athletic events. The company also offers their venue for private events like team building and birthday parties.
Both open and league play times are available for different levels of competition as well as kids’ programs and specific seniors’ and women’s-only hours. For newbies wanting to try out the sports, equipment rental and coaching are available.
Leaside’s facilities include 13 pickleball and four padel courts, change rooms, a sauna with a cold rinse shower and a lounge area with two ping-pong tables.
It also features 24-ft. ceilings in a 40,000 sq. ft. space with food and beverage availability including rotating local vendors offering post-match refreshments and bites.
Fairgrounds co-founder and co-CEO Drummond Munro comes to pickleball and padel from a somewhat different uplifting background. Before Fairgrounds he was chief brand officer of Superette, a flagship retail cannabis store. The pivot to pickleball and padel comes at a time when these sports may be more popular than, well, cannabis. And Leaside seems an ideal location for expansion.
As Munro said, “Leaside is the perfect destination — both figuratively and literally. It draws from North York, Midtown, and downtown, and with easy access to transit and the DVP, it’s truly an ideal area to be in. Plus, the Leaside community is incredibly strong.”
Repurposing the old dealership pre-construction at some time in the (possibly) distant future offers Leasiders something a little different. Game on!
