Unfair Shutdown? SLA Orders Ignite Academy in Singapore to Stop Pickleball Activities Due to ‘Noise Disamenities’ and Unauthorised Use of Courts
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) recently ordered Ignite Academy Tennis and Pickleball to stop all pickleball activities by 21 September 2025. The order was handed down allegedly due to “noise disamenities” and because “pickleball is not an approved use” for the facility.
Ignite Academy was originally established in 2010 and had built three tennis courts at 356 Tanglin Road. It introduced pickleball in 2024 and has since repurposed the tennis courts into eight pickleball courts.
Ignite Academy has maintained that their sub-tenancy agreement included both tennis and pickleball. But it turns out the master tenancy agreement between SLA and the master tenant only stated tennis—a fact evidently unknown to Ignite Academy. SLA maintains this is the case and is the reason for the pickleball ban being imposed.
“Steps have been taken by the master tenant to address this issue. Ignite has also proposed to put in place some operational safeguard,” Ignite Academy told Mothership, a reputable online publication in Singapore. “We are truly sorry for this unfortunate disruption. We know how much pickleball at Ignite means to many of you. We are just as shocked and disappointed as you are, but let’s remain hopeful for a favourable outcome.”
That favourable outcome, though, isn’t guaranteed as the agreements will still have to be reviewed by SLA. At the very least, pickleball activities will be barred for at least a month as that’s the usual timeframe for the review to be finished.
Noise Problem Again?
Jaime Wong, Head Coach and Co-Founder of Ignite Academy, also bared to Mothership that the academy had received a noise complaint from a nearby resident. However, according to Wong, Ignite Academy didn’t receive a response from the complainant when they tried to address the issue. Soon, Wong said the academy began receiving emails from multiple government agencies about noise complaints.
However, Wong maintains that the Ignite Academy facility is located in a “rare sweet spot”—that is, more than 150 metres away from HDB blocks. This falls within the National Environment Agency (NEA) framework’s recommended radius benchmark for “Noise Sensitive Receivers” in a construction area.
A Google Maps search by Mothership confirms this and shows unequivocally that Ignite Academy’s facility is far from HDB areas—making the noise complaints puzzling to some degree.
For now, Ignite Academy’s pickleball activities are a no-go, and Wong isn’t sure when they’ll be back. They still offer tennis, but the pickleball community the academy caters to is far larger now, according to Wong.
