Which Canadian Cities Love Pickleball the Most?

Pickleball fever has swept across Canada like a well-placed backhand volley, and the quest to find out which city tops the pickleball charts is on! We set out on a (somewhat) scientific adventure to rank the top 100 most populated cities based on their pickleball engagement—let’s call it the Pickle Score.🥒

Drawing data from numerous sources including pickleball court locations and Google search interest, this metric transforms cold statistics into the spicy question of preference in Canada’s pickleball utopia. Our team used a comprehensive scoring method, applying weights to different factors like the number of courts, locations, and search interest to calculate the Pickle Score, ranging from 0 to 100.

Toronto, spoiler alert, seems to love racquets and smashes the most, but let’s dive deeper into the nuances that set apart the casuals, from the die-hard pickleheads!

#1 – Toronto Loves Pickleball!

Toronto—where fans scream “Dink responsibly!” louder than Raptors chants. With a scintillating Pickle Score of 72.0, Toronto claims the crown for the hottest pickleball haven north of the border. Sporting 271 pickleball courts, each of its 10,000 residents has a court earmarked for battle. But it doesn’t end at mere numbers. Toronto, Ontario embraces the spirit of the sport digitally, with a whopping 22,200 monthly pickleball-related searches. And while the city’s Blue Jays fly high, it’s clear that pickleball is now a contender for blue-ribbon sport.

Rank	City	# of courts	Courts per 10K Population	Search Volume ‘Pickleball’	Search Volume ‘Pickleball racket’	Pickle score
1	Toronto	271	1.04	22,200	880	72.0
2	Fredericton	81	15.48	390	20	34.9
3	Vancouver	168	2.80	6,600	320	34.0
4	Ottawa	172	2.12	5,400	260	32.7
5	Burnaby	112	5.52	2,900	140	24.4
6	Montreal	63	0.39	14,800	260	21.9
7	Edmonton	175	2.46	3,600	210	21.5
8	Calgary	93	0.91	6,600	320	20.0
9	Chatham	36	8.27	210	10	18.3
10	Mississauga	93	1.39	4,400	170	17.1
11	Markham	86	3.29	2,400	110	15.1
12	Grande Prairie	29	6.99	170	10	15.3
13	Halifax	65	1.81	1,000	50	15.1
14	Dollard-Des Ormeaux	31	6.34	170	10	13.7
15	London	60	1.73	2,400	110	14.3
16	Victoria	62	2.14	1,300	70	13.4
17	Kingston	51	4.47	590	40	12.3
18	Burlington	52	3.16	880	50	12.0
19	Orillia	16	5.30	140	10	11.6
20	Medicine Hat	36	5.70	140	10	12.7

#2 – Fredericton Comes Second

Fredericton’s pickleball triumph is a formidable tale. With a Pickle Score of 34.9, it proudly clinches silver in our rankings. The city boasts the highest pickleball court density—an impressive 15 courts for every 10,000 residents. Despite its modest population of 52,337, the city offers 81 thriving pickleball locales. Yet, lower search interest at just 390 monthly searches stops Fredericton from posing a serious challenge to the Toronto throne. But hey, residents prefer to net themselves outside, not get courted online!

#3 – Vancouver Holds Third Place

Moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, the city locks in third place with a Pickle Score of 34.0. Offering 168 courts and 2.80 courts per 10,000 residents, it’s a sizable pickle planet in its own right. Online searches are healthy at 6,600, displaying Vancouver’s craving for competitive sport.

#4 – Ottawa Ranks Fourth

Continuing westward, Ottawa ranks fourth with a Pickle Score of 32.7 offering 172 courts. 5,400 monthly searches from this city prove that when it comes to pickleball, Canadians stand together, fending off common foes.

The Remaining Contenders

Burnaby: Burnaby aces its way into fifth place, flaunting an admirable court-per-resident ratio. With a Pickle Score of 24.4, it hosts 112 courts. Although search interest clocks in at just 2,900 monthly searches, you know fewer searches mean more court action, right?

Montreal: Montreal, ever the underdog in this saga, stands sixth with a Pickle Score of 21.8. Despite limited courts, it contributes greatly to our sport’s virtual cultural segment thanks to 14,800 searches. Quebec might have mastered culinary classics, but it’s clearly warming up to pickleball.

Edmonton: Let’s not forget Edmonton, Alberta, with a Pickle Score of 21.5; its strong court numbers and 3,600 monthly online searches secure seventh place, proving that pickleball and partners have a beautiful symmetry in this city.

Calgary: Next, Calgary follows in position eight with a Pickle Score of 20.0. It serves up a decent number of courts and ends up slightly lower thanks to its court density. Yet, residents won’t be off-footed, showing a keen interest with 6,600 online searches.

Chatham: When it comes to Chatham, size doesn’t define spirit! With a Pickle Score of 18.3, boasting 8.27 courts per 10,000 residents, Chatham punches above its weight, although online curiosity could use a boost with just 210 monthly searches.

Mississauga: Lastly, we swing by Mississauga, rounding off the top ten with a Pickle Score of 17.1. Notable for its 93 courts, its enthusiastic players could be found off-court too, conducting 4,400 monthly searches.

Any pickle-heads in Canada might also want to check out some of the best sports betting apps in Canada, or some of our top sportsbooks like bet365 and Sports Interaction.

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Methodology

Our pursuit of the ultimate Pickle Score found its foundation in diligent research. Here’s how it played out:

• Data Sources and Tools: We scraped data from Pickleheads for active locations and courts, while population data was gleaned from the World Population Review. Online search behavior was derived using Google Keyword data for “Pickleball” and “Pickleball racket,” evaluating local intrigue over the past year.
• Data Analysis: Integrating the data into a single DataFrame, Python stepped up as our analytical sidekick. We calculated Courts per 10k Population and blended this with a calculated weight to determine each city’s score. Variables from online search volume were wedged into the formula, reflecting city-specific enthusiasm through a combined algorithmic approach.

The weighted formula settled the Pickle Score for all cities:
Pickle Score = (Courts per 10k∗0.3) + (# of locations∗0.3) + (Pickleball keyword search interest∗0.20) + (Pickleball racket keyword search interest∗0.20).

You can find the dataset in full here

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