Pickleball continues to grow in popularity which means that courts are at a premium. If you can never seem to time on the court, don’t give up and throw in the towel! We’re here to give you some ideas that could help you get the pickleball courts that you want in your community.
Temporary Courts
If your local park has tennis courts, you’re in business! A single tennis court can easily be turned into four pickleball courts. Now, keep in mind that the rules in every community are different. Before you transform a tennis court, you might want to get in contact with the park’s management to see if this is permitted. It might also be necessary to reserve court time.
One of our favorite things about pickleball (beyond the fact that it’s fun and a great way to stay in shape), is that it’s a game that can be played no matter the weather. It’s easy to bring your pickleball game indoors. If it’s a rainy day or the dead of winter and you have the itch for a
dink rally, you can scratch it by playing inside at a gym. It doesn’t matter if it’s the local YMCA or fitness center—if it has an indoor gymnasium, you can play pickleball.
Before setting up shop, again, you’ll want to speak with management to see when the best time would be for you to transform a portion of the basketball court into a pickleball court. Once you’ve been cleared to play, make sure to play with indoor balls.
A Permanent Solution
If you’re lobbying for permanent pickleball courts in your community, you’ll want to schedule a time to talk with those on the local recreation committee, city council members or management at the local recreation center.
Rather than showing up and simply asking “Can we get more pickleball courts?”, you’ll want to go into this meeting with a game plan and a purpose. Be prepared to discuss the benefits of pickleball for your community. If you know that pickleball is a sport that’s gaining local momentum, consider creating a petition that can be passed around and signed to showcase the growing need for courts in the area. Bonus points if you bring some of these fellow players to showcase the sport’s increasing popularity.
Another idea is to possibly strike a deal to reserve designated times for you and the rest of the local pickleball players to play. This could be on the outdoor tennis courts or indoor courts at the recreation center. Wherever the location, start slow and ask for a certain day at a certain time to be reserved for pickleball only. Suggest times when the tennis courts aren’t as crowded with the hardcore players – maybe try a mid-morning or early afternoon. As the interest begins to increase and more and more players are showing up to play, regroup with management and work to add more days and times to the pickleball schedule.
