Indoor pickleball facility coming to Wheeling
Grab your paddles and balls, suburban pickleball fans — a new, indoor club is coming to Wheeling.
FROG Pickleball will occupy part of an industrial building at 1480 S. Wolf Road. The first part of the name is an acronym for “Fully Rely on God,” owner Sunny Shi said Tuesday.
Shi said he hopes to open in three or four months.
Considered the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball is a paddle sport resembling tennis. Like tennis, it can be played indoors or outdoors by two or four competitors.
The game reportedly was devised in 1965 by three men who, while on vacation with their families near Seattle, used table tennis paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a badminton court to play.
A tennis enthusiast, Shi said pickleball is easier to learn — and easier on the body — than tennis. That’s good for older and younger players, he said.
“A lot of tennis players are switching to pickleball,” Shi said.
Shi plans to have eight courts at FROG Pickleball. One will be in a private room that can be used for parties, business events and other gatherings, village documents indicate.
The club is set to operate daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Occasional weekend tournaments are anticipated.
No food or beverages will be sold at the facility, Shi told the board.
After a brief public discussion with Shi during its meeting Monday night, the village board unanimously approved a special-use permit for the business. He still must get a municipal business license before opening.
FROG Pickleball won’t be the only business in the Wolf Road building. The eWorks electronics recycling facility operates in a separate space and will remain, said Ross Klicker, Wheeling’s community development director.
In 2020, the village board approved a special-use permit for a proposed cannabis growing facility there. But the business never moved in.
After Monday’s positive vote, Village President Pat Horcher welcomed Shi to Wheeling and wished him luck.