NPBC Family Life Center

First-time visitors to the 40-acre North Phoenix  Baptist Church complex might have  hard time finding the pickleball facilities  The courts are located in the Family Life Center (FLC) in the south east portion of the complex.

The Family Life Center (FLC) of The North Phoenix Baptist Church (NPBC) operates a top notch four-court pickleball facility at 5757 N. Central Ave.  The FLC is about as centrally located as possible in The Valley. You do not have to be a member of the NPBC to play at the facility.

Jackie Switzer is the Program Director in charge  of
the FLC pickleball courts.  Jackie's a great player and
who brings a lot of enthusiasm and skill to the  court.

As is almost always the case with indoor pickleball facilities, the permanent courts lines are overlaid on pre-existing basketball courts.  FLC's gym features a delightful and seldom seen parquet wood gym floor.  The gym is a very large structure so the pickleball courts are not cramped.  A large retractable curtain separates each pair of courts.

The FLC is part of the NPBC multi-building complex that sits on 40 acres at the southeast corner of Central Ave. and Bethany Home Road.  The main church building itself was completed in 1977 and seats 5,000 people.  FLC administrator decided to venture into pickleball in 2016 and admitted players free during the first year.  A fee is expected to be charged in 2017 but the amount has not yet been set as of mid-December 2016.  FLC has paddles and balls to loan to players.  The Onix nets are in pristine condition and well cared for.

Here is the FLC Pickleball webpage: http://nphx.org/family-life-center-pickle-ball/

And here is the general website for FLC: http://nphx.org/about-the-family-life-center/

We played in the FLC facility on December 15.  We arrived shortly after 10 AM and there were no other players.  We practiced together for about 30 minutes and then packed up to depart.  As we were walking out of the gym, numerous players arrived so we stayed and played until shortly after noon.

We played several fun games with John from the Washington D.C.  vicinity and Candy, a local woman active in Greyhound dog rescue. FLC Program Director Jackie joined us for one game as well.

All-in-all, we were very impressed with the FLC pickleball facility.  It is easily accessible off of SR 51 or the Black Canyon Freeway (I-17).  We look forward to playing there again and we hope FLC administrators keep the admission price in the $2 range.  That's what the  City of Phoenix charges for all its many community centers.  Some pickleball facilities have begun charging $4 and $5 per person.  Given a choice between playing at Venue A for $2 or Venue B for $4-5, we will always gravitate to Venue A.

Since we are "traveling" pickleball players, we will never be able to play on a regular basis at most all the locations we visit.  So, we can't justify annual or semi-annual membership fees.  If the one-time, drop-in fees reach the $8-$10 per couple price point, it will preclude occasional players such as ourselves from participating in fine facilities like the FLC pickleball courts.

Here is the screen clip of the FLC's listing on the USAPA's "Places To Play" website:

We enjoyed our play December 15, 2016 with John (far left) and Candy (second from left).

The FLC courts are among the most spacious indoor courts we played. 

The parquet floor is quite appealing and the Onix nets are top notch.

You really can't get more centrally located than the FLC facility.

Nice promo poster!

The entry into FLC can be a little confusing for the first time  visitor.

Just look for this view and head for the glass portal.  You're there.