Market Analysis In addition to the Community Survey, the Park District hired a consultant to perform a market analysis “to identify levels of satisfaction with existing services [the] Park District provides, as well as identify the unfulfilled community needs that could be met with the addition of new services and facilities or the enhancement of existing services and facilities.” The market analysis supplements the Community Survey “to support planning efforts for new facilities and improvements to existing facilities by the Naperville Park District to meet the demand of the community.” According to the market analysis: “Across the seven sports categories tracked by Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), water-related sports saw the largest year-over-year increase in participation at 2.3%, followed closely behind by outdoor sports with a 2.2% increase. Team sports saw a year-over-year increase of 1.8%, but participation remains lower than pre-pandemic levels with approximately two million fewer people participating in team sports in 2021 than 2019. The fastest growing sport in the country continues to be pickleball, with 4.8 million playing it last year, marking a surge of 39% during the pandemic and an average annual increase of 11.5% since 2017.
The four sports beyond pickleball that saw the biggest year-over-year increase in participation skew toward younger athletes and usually involve travel: fast-pitch softball (up 15.3% over 2020); gymnastics (+10.9%); indoor volleyball (+8.1%); and swimming on a team (+8.0%).” While the Market Analysis notes the District is sufficient in outdoor amenities, indoor facilities tell a different story. These trends complement the Community Survey results in residents identifying indoor recreation as a need, especially indoor fitness and swimming facilities: “A long-term perspective suggests a new facility – this is supported by participation figures and frequency, but also by survey results identifying the need for an aquatic center, an indoor track, additional courts for tennis, pickleball and basketball, and fitness club/gym facilities. The addition of Pre-K programming, which 8% of the survey respondents identified as a need to better serve their household as an open-ended response, is supported by the growth in the Pre-K age group of the population over the next five years. This would make a useful addition to a new multiuse indoor facility if current facilities run out of space for additional programing in the segment. However, any new facility is a major and long- term investment… Should the Park District decide to add an indoor water facility, it has to be “amenitized” and programed in a way that it positions itself above the seasonal subdivisions’ pools and amongst comparable existing facilities offering competitive swimming and should have wellness and health sections and feature some leisure waterpark components, such as slides and a splash pad.”
22 Naperville Park District | 2023 MASTER PLAN
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