Toronto

I had expected pickleball to take over Toronto and the internet made it sound like it was absolutely everywhere. But when I landed in Toronto this week, all I saw was soccer, fútbol, and more soccer. It was the knockout stages of the World Cup, and Canada was right in the middle of it after a massive Round of 32 win and an upcoming Round of 16 match. 

Soccer was everywhere. Every turn you made, every underground shop you visited, and every boat you stepped on, FIFAmania was inescapable. Temporary soccer courts were built all over town, and they even set up a floating field on the water for pickup soccer games. Naturally, I decided to celebrate with the locals by looking for some pickup basketball.

Upon doing some research on pickup basketball in Toronto, I noticed that it was very similar to Vancouver (Canada must be doing something right), locals call it ‘drop-in’. The City of Toronto actually maintains a highly informative website listing plenty of locations to drop in and play. They offer drop-in programs for pretty much every sport imaginable, but most importantly during this World Cup month, they had basketball.

The website was fairly easy to navigate, and I found a lot of indoor recreation centers holding basketball runs. However, I noticed two distinct options,  regular ‘drop-in’, which I assumed was more like an open gym where anyone can just show up and play, and then another option of more competitive sessions where you have to ‘reserve’ a spot. The timing worked out perfectly for me. I opted for a Friday night run at Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre, securing a reserved spot for some pickup basketball right on the beautiful Toronto harbourfront.

Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre

Reserving a spot was simple, all I had to do was create an account on the ⁠City of Toronto Recreation Portal and claim my slot. It might have been because it was Friday night, or perhaps because Lionel Messi was playing in a World Cup match at the same time, but I managed to secure a spot for the Friday night run, signing up on Thursday evening. Signing up on the website carries zero risk. Create an account and sign up for $0 CAD, and you only pay when you actually show up at the gym. If you miss your window, you simply lose your reservation, and the spot is passed along to a walk-in player. The run cost just under $5 CAD, which you pay directly at the front desk.

The Friday night slot at Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre ran from 8pm to 10pm, and I arrived around 7:45pm. I checked in at the front desk and received a green wristband. I quickly learned that only players wearing the wristband were allowed to stay on the court after 8:00 PM. Anyone without one, including a crowd of players who had been using the gym prior to our slot, had to clear out to make room for the reserved session. All 25 available registration slots filled up by the time we started.

At 8pm sharp, we took the court to warm up and shoot around. Oddly enough, even though we had more than enough bodies to start a 5v5 game right away, nobody did. Everyone just kept shooting. When I asked another player what we were waiting for, they told me people were waiting for the rest of their specific groups to arrive. Apparently, players look to build their own squads and won't play until their full roster is present. It didn't make much sense to me, but I guess every local drop-in gym develops its own unwritten rules. After 25 minutes of about 20 people just shooting around, we finally got things moving. Players started yelling out, "I got my five!" and "I got next!" Because so many of the regulars already knew each other, I was initially left out. I quickly figured out the system, though, and loudly claimed ‘next next’.

Interestingly, the recreation center staff actually managed a physical scoreboard and game clock for us. The opening game was to either 9 points or a 9 minute time limit. Every game after that was shortened to a brisk 7 minutes or 7 points. I loved this setup because it kept the court moving and maximized playing time for everyone waiting. 

The runs were incredibly competitive. One team of five that formed early on basically ran the court and never lost a game all night. This was also one of the few pickup environments I've ever played in where I witnessed multiple alleyoop dunks. I kept expecting a house rule where a team has to rotate off the floor after three consecutive wins, but that rule didn't exist here. I suppose that's exactly why everyone forms their own stacked teams right at the start.

Conclusion

After a few intense games, and a few close calls where I made sure to stay far away from getting posterized, I finally got a true taste of Toronto basketball. With my run complete, it was time to head out and explore the local Toronto city life. I still wonder how the standard open gym drop-ins compare across other community centers, or how the vibe shifts at other ‘reserved’ sessions. I will definitely have to come back, try a different gym, and see how the style of play changes across the city. Or maybe next time I’ll check out one of Toronto's outdoor courts! If anybody reading this knows of any great pickup basketball runs in the Toronto area, let me know!