DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Photo courtesy of Welch Tennis Courts , Inc .

By Mary Helen Sprecher

Because sports fields require extensive care in order to keep them in good repair , it ’ s easy to concentrate just on them . As a result , the demand for a new type of facility — or for upgrades to existing facilities — may catch managers off guard . Case in point : Pickleball .

Pickleball is exploding ; in fact , according to the most recent research by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association ( SFIA ) and its partner , Pickleheads , pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America , showing a leap in participation of 51.8 percent from 2022 to 2023 , and 223.5 percent in three years .

Pickleball is massively popular at the park level , in HOAs and in private clubs ; and now colleges are adding courts to keep up with the demand . Although pickleball was initially associated with an over-50 age participation , the age group with the most participants , 2.3 million people , is actually the 25 – 34 age range . The sport also brought in more than 1 million children under the age of 18 from 2022 to 2023 , and tournaments are adding more age categories for youth .

At the same time , tennis is growing . According to the United States Tennis Association ( USTA ), more Americans than ever are hitting the courts — nearly 24 million played in 2023 , and USTA notes that another 25 million Americans are interested in trying tennis , meaning the potential for expansion , and subsequently for more courts . Various diversity initiatives have also helped change the game ’ s image , making it less of a country club sport and more of an inclusive fitness and fun opportunity .

So , when you get the question about adding courts for pickleball and building or upgrading courts for tennis , what are you going to do ?

One thing NOT to do — add pickleball lines to existing tennis courts .

“ Many organizations are trying to use their tennis courts for pickleball as well ,” said Barbara Dobbs , CTCB , of Austin , Texas-based Dobbs Tennis Courts , Inc .

According to Dobbs , this can cause all kinds of problems . In addition to bringing tennis players and pickleball players into direct conflicts over court time , there are logistical reasons not to try to have courts multitask for both sports .

“ Some organizations are using the tennis center net strap to pull the tennis net down another two inches for pickleball play ,” said Dobbs . “ That is a dangerous thing

18 SportsField Management | January 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com