Long-Overdue Renovation to Make St. Xavier’s Institution One of Malaysia’s First Schools With Pickleball Court
One of Malaysia’s oldest schools is getting a major upgrade—and pickleball is part of the plan.
St. Xavier’s Institution in Penang, which has stood for 169 years in the heart of the UNESCO George Town World Heritage Site, is set to transform the field opposite its heritage building with a synthetic track and field ground, a new football pitch, an underground drainage system, and—most notably—a pickleball court. If the plans proceed as outlined, St. Xavier’s Institution will become the first school in the country to have a dedicated pickleball facility on its grounds.
The tennis court currently occupying the space will make way for the new development, a decision that reflects the stark contrast in the two sports’ trajectories. School board of trustees chairman Victor Tan Seang Hin said the tennis courts had drawn poor response despite concerted efforts to attract players and coaches for development programmes. Pickleball, by contrast, is on an upward curve nationwide—and the school intends to be ahead of that wave rather than chasing it.
“We are also installing an underground drainage system and building a new football field in the centre of the synthetic track,” Tan said.
The renovation is part of a broader effort by Tan and Brother-Director Jason Blakie to modernise St. Xavier’s Institution for a new era without compromising the school’s historic identity. The upgrades follow the creation of a heritage gallery to mark the school’s 170th anniversary, developed with the support of old boys. The field itself has been part of SXI’s story since 1857, when the La Salle Brothers movement acquired it from the Convent Light Street school.
“We just share the space with the convent school, but St. Xavier’s Institution owns it,” Tan said.
The school’s principal, Janestanstein Stephen—a former athlete herself—said the new facilities would raise sporting standards across the board. The vision, as Tan described it, is for the upgraded field to become a hub of activity not just for students but for the surrounding community.
“We are hoping that the field opposite can be a hive of activities for students and our surrounding community here,” he said.
Questions about an indoor facility were raised given Malaysia’s unpredictable weather, but Tan was candid about the current constraints.
“We can always do with more donations. Remember it is for the students so they can excel in both their studies and sports,” he said.
Tan has also briefed Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow on the school’s upgrade plans. Beyond sports, St. Xavier’s Institution is looking to strengthen its arts and cultural programmes, with stage performances and an enhanced marching band also on the agenda.
For pickleball’s advocates in Malaysia, St. Xavier’s Institution’s decision to install a court is another signal of the sport’s momentum. A 169-year-old institution in a UNESCO heritage site making room for one of the world’s newest major sports—it is, in its own way, a measure of just how far pickleball has come.
