History of SMPA

In the early 2000s, Pat Sullivan – a Royal Oak resident who wintered in Arizona, learned to love a silly little game called pickleball. Determined to bring her new passion home with her, in 2010 she convinced her city to allow herself and a group of local volunteers – with monetary support from the federal government’s community development block grant program, a Home Depot grant, and City of Royal Oak assistance – to convert two dilapidated and unused tennis courts into what is now the Whittier Park Pickleball Complex (officially known as the Pat Sullivan Pickleball Courts).

In the years after Pat and friends got pickleball up and running in Royal Oak, her Royal Oak Pickleball Club hosted an annual summer adult tournament, numerous summer and fall ladder leagues, various adults’ and children’s lessons, children’s tournaments, clinics with nationally rated pickleball players, daily drop-in play, and more. In 2014, the club used proceeds from its tournaments and other events, plus city assistance, to convert a second set of tennis courts into the Upton Park Pickleball Courts, nearly doubling the club’s ability to provide frequent and diverse events to its growing membership.

In 2015, the Royal Oak Pickleball Club formally transitioned to be the Southeastern Michigan Pickleball Association, and in 2016 it was granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS. Since then, SMPA’s membership has grown to include almost 600 players! SMPA continues to proudly advance Pat’s vision of promoting pickleball in and around Royal Oak – to further spread what she called the “seeds of fun,” and to grow a strong and healthy community of happy and fun-loving pickleball players.