Amsterdam Doubles Rent at De Pijp, Threatening 30 Pickleball Players' Home

Pickleball has taken off at Sportcentrum De Pijp since renovations gave the old municipal hall a new floor and six dedicated courts, but the roughly 30 players who use them each week now face an existential threat: the City of Amsterdam has doubled rental prices for private users, with extreme increases also planned for sports clubs, according to local reports.

The 40-year-old facility at Lizzy Ansinghstraat 88, which serves as a home for volleyball, badminton, korfball, zaalhockey and handball across its two 48m-by-23m halls with nine-meter ceilings, has suddenly become a flashpoint for affordability in De Pijp. High school students from the neighborhood regularly attend physical education classes there, and youth teams from divisions like Amsterdam Ultimate hold weekly practices on Tuesdays from 17:30 to 19:00, per the municipal booking system.

Now those groups are watching the price shock hit pickleball first. The city doubled rates for individual users, and association prices are set to rise sharply for the coming season, according to reporting from in de Buurt. For a pastime that only recently found a home here-after the renovation created dedicated pickleball lines on the new floor-the increases threaten to price out the very community that made the sport viable.

Pressure on Clubs and Individuals

The pickleball scene at Sportcentrum De Pijp is small but energetic. Six courts accommodate about 30 players weekly, a number that has grown since the facility upgrades and the sport's introduction to the neighborhood. But the rental shock comes at a moment when the city appears to be pushing recreational users toward private options: TrainMore is opening a new gym in the former Hutspot store, and Saints & Stars already operates at Hobbemakade 31.

For clubs, the planned increases are extreme. While city officials have not publicly explained the rationale, the timing suggests a broader budget recalibration at Amsterdam's sports department. Schools using the 'Sportverhuur' online system for booking 1- to 3-hour slots have not yet reported similar hikes, but longer half-day programs requiring written requests could be affected. The pickleball players, many of whom are not part of formal clubs, are especially vulnerable because they lack the collective bargaining power of an association.

What Happens Next

The pickleball community at Sportcentrum De Pijp is mobilizing informally, but no formal protests or petitions have been announced. The City of Amsterdam's rental policy for the coming season has not been finalized, and sports clubs are expected to lobby for relief before prices lock in. For now, the 30 weekly players continue to reserve courts at the old rates, but the clock is ticking. If the extreme increases take effect, De Pijp's pickleball experiment may be forced to find a new home-or fold entirely.