CHAPTER TWO • DEMOGRAPHICS & TRENDS NAPERVILLE PARK DISTRICT INDOOR RECREATION SPACE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
USTA STATEMENT OF GUIDANCE PUBLIC FACILITIES APPROACH TO TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL
In the context of significant increases in tennis and pickleball participation nationwide, the USTA put forward a Statement of Guidance for the development, expansion and renovation of public facilities and spaces related to tennis and pickleball. A portion of the statement is below. OPTION #1: SPORT-SPECIFIC SITES With citizen participation for both sports at all-time highs and trending toward continued growth, the ideal solution to increased demand is the development and/or expansion of sport-specific public sites. The development of tennis and pickleball facilities as singular-focused sport-specific sites and courts will provide optimum opportunity for use, harmony, and revenue generation for each sport that may be unavailable in shared-use scenarios. These facilities should be offered either as one central facility complex or as separate sport-specific developments to best meet the needs of the citizens. OPTION #2: NON-TRADITIONAL SPACES If Option #1 is not possible, both tennis and pickleball can be played and enjoyed by citizens in non-traditional spaces. Look at all public hard surface areas for conversion, such as multi-sport court sites and/or vacant parking lot locations. When contemplating any type of conversion affiliated with public facility infrastructure, safety must be at the forefront of all considerations. OPTION #3: SHARED USE OF TENNIS FACILITIES If Options #1 and #2 are not possible, in the interest of ensuring equitable offerings for both tennis and pickleball, shared usage through blended lines on existing tennis courts is advisable for park locations of two (2) or fewer tennis courts. For park locations of three (3) or more tennis courts, every effort should be made to utilize Option #1 or #2 due to the sustained growth and increasing public demand for both sports. RECREATION TRENDS HIGHLIGHTS Pickleball continues to be the fastest growing sport in America showing 223.5% growth since 2020 to reach 13.6 million participants in 2023. Participation in pickleball was nearly as high as participation in outdoor soccer (14.1 million). In addition to pickleball, every racquet sport except table tennis also increased in total participation in 2023. Group, full-body workout activities such as Tai Chi, barre and Pilates saw the biggest increase in participation this past year. Over two-thirds (67.8%) of Americans participated in fitness sports and over half (61.6%) of Americans participated in outdoor sports. Total participation for fitness, team, outdoor, racquet, water and winter sports are higher than their pre-pandemic participation rates. Individual sports are the only category still not at their pre-pandemic participation levels (45% in 2019 compared to 42.1% in 2023).
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