‘A dream come true’: Victory Pickleball in Loves Park heralded as area’s newest sports tourism draw
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
LOVES PARK — If you had been in the Victory Sports Complex in recent years, you may have trouble recognizing it on your next visit.
Tim Ancona and his team have spent the past four months overhauling nearly every facet of the 50-year-old facility, which is now called Victory Pickleball, 7003 N. Alpine Road.
The drab lighting has been swapped out for new LED lights, which bounce off the white ceiling to illuminate the 54,000-square-foot space. New cement flooring was laid throughout the entire facility for the 15 indoor courts. There is new carpeting throughout the complex. The gray metal exterior was exchanged for a new stucco finish, and every inch inside and out was repainted, including a vibrant road-facing mural on the outside by Brett Whitacre. There’s also a dining area with the area’s first self-serve tap wall offering a selection of 30 beers, wines and seltzers.
“There’s really not much that didn’t get redone,” said Ancona, Victory’s owner. “It was a different place.”
More news: A whitewater course in Rockford? The idea is still floating around two decades later
The end result is a new year-round pickleball facility that tourism officials say will bolster the region’s strength as a sports tourism destination. For local players, it provides a place to find a game at almost any time throughout the day on high-quality courts.
“It is, basically for a pickleball player, a dream come true,” said Jim Spelman, a 57-year-old grief counselor and artist from Loves Park who is a member at the facility. “It’s state of the art. … We’re just so thankful for Tim and his crew to come in and invest so much to make it not just a place to play, but so special.”
Victory celebrated its opening Tuesday night with the Park Chamber of Commerce, Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, other local dignitaries and members. It will be open for all membership levels, including the entry-level free membership, starting Friday.
Ancona invested about $3 million into the improvements, and will receive up to $315,000 in financial support from the city of Loves Park through its Forest Hills Road tax-increment finance district fund. TIF districts capture increases in property taxes that come when properties are improved and put them toward infrastructure and other redevelopment initiatives. The city also paid $20,000 to fund the painting of the mural.
“This new complex will bring many people to the city to enjoy all the activities that they will be offering,” Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury said. “We are really looking forward to continuing working with Tim and his team at this location.”
More news: New art exhibit captures the story of Rockford neighborhoods that ‘stood the test of time’
Victory Pickleball has a variety of membership options meant to match how much you’ll play and what you can afford. A bronze membership is free, and then there are fees starting at $10 to reserve a court for three hours. Gold level membership, which starts at $49 a month for an individual, provides discounted court fees, including free play during non-prime time hours.
Ancona, the founder of the app development company Ticomix and IT services company Aptris, purchased the facility in May and began remodeling efforts.
The first tournament at Victory is scheduled for Sept. 22-24, and that is where Ancona hopes to make his mark on the sport. He said Victory has the most indoor courts of anywhere in Illinois and is among the top 10 across the country.
Victory’s upper level offers a viewing area unlike any other tournament location he’s seen, and its dining and drink amenities provide an ideal setting to pass the time between games. There is also table tennis, bags, foosball, pool tables, darts and slots.
“The entire facility has been rebuilt to become the premier pickleball and sports entertainment venue in the Midwest,” Ancona said. “There’s nothing like it from a tournament standpoint that I’ve seen. So we think we’re going to attract some really big tournaments and maybe some professional-level stuff, too.”
John Groh, president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, also sees the potential for sports tourism through tournaments large and small.
“The potential is huge, and obviously the market is growing,” Groh said. “With Tim’s connections and even some of the early conversations we’re having with a couple different governing bodies in pickleball, I think there’s great potential.”
Pickleball, which started in the 1960s, is similar to tennis but it’s played with a hollow ball and a paddle.
It has been the fastest-growing sport in America for three years in a row, according to an annual study by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Pickleball participation grew by 86% in 2022 and has risen by nearly 159% over three years. There are roughly 36.5 million pickleball players in the country.
Spelman said he learned the game two years ago from Bill Cote, who is now the general manager of facilities and pickleball at Victory.
“We are used to going other places for facilities like this — like Arizona or California — and now we’ have it in Rockford,” Spelman said. “I get to invite people from out of town, and now we have a pickleball destination.”
About | Victory Pickleball
Where: 7003 N. Alpine Road, Loves Park
Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
Rates: To learn more about court fees and membership options, go HERE.
On the web: victorypb.com
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
