Seven previously unavailable sports facilities have opened at the UAC Airport Campus sports complex in the municipality of Querétaro, including the city’s first two public flag football fields, two padel courts, two pickleball courts, and one seven-a-side football pitch.
The official inauguration was led by Mayor Felipe Fer Macías. With this opening, the municipality now boasts five padel courts and five pickleball courts distributed across four sports complexes.
According to the Secretary of Sports, Juan Báez, the addition of sports like padel and pickleball to the municipal offerings is part of a strategy to bring activities that were previously available almost exclusively in the private sector to residents.
Before this administration, none of the municipality’s 32 sports facilities in Querétaro had padel or pickleball courts.
The four new padel courts are located in Reforma Lomas, Cerrito Colorado, and the two at the UAQ Airport Campus; the fifth, in Truchuelo, was already in place.
For pickleball, the facilities are located at the Belén sports complex, Reforma Lomas, and the two facilities at the UAQ Airport Campus. Belén, which had not been renovated for over a decade, underwent a complete rehabilitation: in addition to the pickleball court, the soccer field was renovated, an old fronton court was converted into a multipurpose gymnasium, and one of the eight booths for the Muévete program was installed.
The Reforma Lomas sports complex has the highest attendance in the municipality, with approximately 50,000 visitors per month and around 18 active sports disciplines. Báez specified that most of these are private academies and that the only free municipal academy at that location is the boxing academy.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Venustiano Carranza Park—adjacent to Truchuelo and Reforma Lomas—has the lowest attendance; it functions primarily as a family recreation area with barbecue grills, although it does have soccer and volleyball courts.
Regarding the possibility of adding new sports, the official ruled out any further additions for the time being. He clarified that the door isn’t closed, but it will depend on future budget availability.
Regarding Holy Week and Easter, Báez confirmed that the 32 sports facilities will operate without changes to their schedules, with general opening at 6:00 a.m. and closing at 10:00 p.m.
In terms of construction projects, the rehabilitation of the Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez sports complex has already begun its first phase with the remodeling of the baseball field’s bleachers. The installation of artificial turf is expected to begin between May and June, with completion estimated for July.
The investment for this first phase amounts to approximately 30 million pesos, managed by the Ministry of Public Works. As for the project for a sports complex in Bicentennial Park, Báez indicated that these plans depend exclusively on the governor and the mayor, and that he currently has no feedback on the matter.
Source: rotativo
