Pickleball at Farmingdale State College

By Maria Chille

November 6, 2025

FARMINGDALE, NY NOVEMBER 6, 2025; Farmingdale State Colleges Campus Recreation has introduced pickleball courts open to all students. The open courts took place on Thursday November 6th, and Thursday November 13th 1:30-3:30pm in the Nold Auxiliary Gym. As advertised on the FSC Campus Recreation Instagram page, no skill or equipment was required to participate. 

I visited the open pickleball courts on Thursday, November 6th to catch some of the pickleball action for myself. I spoke with some of the students who participated in the open court. The first student, Logan states that he discovered the FSC Campus Recreation open court with the help of their Instagram page, as linked earlier. Logan was eager to attend the open court as he plays pickleball every Tuesday and Thursday alongside his classmates and their Professor Shaun, as part of their class activities. Campus Recreation planning the open courts directly after this class time is very convenient for any students wanting some extra pickleball playing time. 

Another student participating in the open court, Alexa, was able to share her feelings on the open court as well. Alexa is a classmate of Logan's, and decided to give the open court a try. Outside of open pickleball and class, Alexa has not taken part in any pickleball. However, the open court is a great outlet for her to practice more pickleball for fun. Alexa has nothing but positive reviews on the pickleball open court, when asked about her feelings on it she states “I love it, it adds joy to my day.” 

I spoke with Rudy, the director of Farmingdale's Campus Recreation. When asked how the open pickleball courts began, Rudy stated “We always have a tournament called a Doubles Tournament, so to gain interest we started a pickleball court so anyone can come in and just play without rules or a certain skill level.” The Doubles Pickleball One-Day Tournament  is taking place on Thursday, November 20th, from 4-7pm in Nold Auxiliary Gym, visit the FSC Recreation Instagram page for more information! In terms of the open pickleball, Rudy feels it hasn’t been a great success just yet but he has high hopes for higher and more success in the future with open pickleball. 

Farmingdale is continuing to explore the game of pickleball, and hope FSC students decide to give it a try as well. Whether you are a pickleball pro or have never stepped on a court before, make sure to be on the look out for pickleball open court events in the future.