SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)– Tennis and pickleball lovers in Sioux Falls will have a new place to play — hopefully by the end of the year.

As the community of tennis and pickleball players continues to grow, more space is needed. That led to an expansion project at the Huether Family Match Pointe facility.

“This is something that we saw coming for a few years, just kind of seeing the increased numbers and participation, both in our programming and tournaments,” Vellek said.

The 3.6 million dollar project will add four more courts for both tennis and pickleball to the facility, adding to the six courts already there.

“We want to be able to get more kids playing tennis, more opportunities. for adults, we want to create opportunities for pickleball. We want to be able to bring more tournaments to the city,” Vellek said.

15-year-old Eli Woidyla has been playing tennis since he was 10. He says he’s excited to have more opportunities to hit the court.

“It’s gonna be nicer because it’s kind of hard to get court time with only six courts here. So with an extra four, it’ll be way easier so you can play more tennis,” Woidyla said.

Parent and board member Tom McDowell says his son Johnny has been playing tennis since he was a child. They are excited to attend bigger tournaments right here in Sioux Falls.

“We’ll be able to start hosting some real big-time national tournaments. We already bring in some great players, but it’s going to be able to enable us to really have some top-notch players coming to town,” McDowell said.

The groundbreaking is expected to take place this April. Vellek says if construction stays on schedule, the new courts will be ready for use in October.