Pickleball, table tennis and other indoor courts coming to Birchwood Mall

Birchwood Mall will soon be a hotspot of indoor sports with the expected arrival of pickleball, volleyball, table tennis and more.

Greg Cotton, president of Northwest Neighborhood Outreach Center which is sponsoring the courts, said the indoor courts are a way to help revitalize the mall and bring in more foot traffic. The courts are planned to be placed throughout the mall to encourage people to traverse spaces of the mall they otherwise would not have gone.

The indoor courts are planned to come gradually, but Cotton said the first to arrive will be the pickleball courts sometime in August.

The courts can be used by casual players, leagues and for tournaments. General admission for court use is $5. Each court will have at least two rules: players must wear tennis shoes and children must have the consent from their parents or guardians to play. The courts will operate during mall hours.

"I'm making sure everything is done the right way because we want a great experience for people at the mall," Cotton said.

Cotton said eventually the tournament and league games will be broadcasted on websites such as YouTube, Roku and other streaming services.

Additionally, the courts can be used to provide professional training for basketball and pickleball.

Birchwood Mall is located at 4350 24th Ave. in Fort Gratiot. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The Northwest Neighborhood Outreach Center is a nonprofit organization based in Rochester, New York. In addition to revitalizing the mall, Cotton said the courts will help raise money for local nonprofits.

Cotton said things like indoor sport courts are becoming increasing popular in malls.

"A lot of malls are experiencing low foot traffic, and what this does is guarantees people to come in," he said. "Malls are turning to bring entertainment things to get people to come in."

Birchwood Mall already has a basketball court located at its entrance next to the food court. Cotton said it's usually not just one person coming in to play, but rather a group. The basketball court was first placed at the mall in April but has since been upgraded with new flooring and basketball hoops.

Cotton said parents have come up to him since the basketball court was finished and told him they feel good sending their children to play basketball at the mall because it's indoors and a safe environment. He said that is the point of having the indoor courts, having something for everyone in the family to do, while being safe.

Another thing people can expect will be a sports lounge and studio space. Cotton said the lounge will have an eating area, billiards table and TVs that will play footage from the games inside the mall. Additionally, once the lounge is open, people will have the opportunity to rent out the space.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.

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This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Indoor sports coming to Birchwood Mall