Keep the Courts at Mountain View Park Dual-Lined for Pickleball and Tennis | Let’s Grow, Not Shrink Pickleball in Escondido!

We ask Escondido Recreation to keep the courts at Mountain View Park dual-lined for pickleball and tennis. While it is great news that the city is building new dedicated pickleball courts at Mountain View Park, we are alarmed by reports that Escondido Recreation might remove the pickleball lines from the existing courts. Even with the addition of eight new courts, removing pickleball from the old courts will shrink Mountain Views Park’s pickleball capacity by one-third!  

Pickleball has grown exponentially over the last five years, with the total number of players doubling each year. Even the current capacity at Mountain View Park for twelve courts is inadequate. When open play was offered at Mountain View Park, crowds of over 100 players would gather during pickleball priority hours with 15-minute wait times. The opening of brand-new dedicated courts will attract large numbers of newcomers from both Escondido and nearby communities. Forcing all the players presently using the old courts onto the new ones in addition to all the newcomers is a recipe for disaster. By removing the pickleball lines on the old courts, the city will shrink our ability to run city rec leagues, decrease community play, and create lengthy wait times. It will be impossible to satisfy public demand for pickleball with just eight courts! Keeping the old courts open to pickleball is the only way the city can even come close to meeting growing demand for pickleball.

Shrinking capacity from twelve to eight courts will also mean less revenue for Escondido Recreation from popular city organized pickleball activities.

Pickleball is not just a sport, but a social activity. For many adults past working or even college age, building new friendships is difficult. Shrinking rather than growing pickleball capacity at Mountain View Park will decrease community access to a vital social outlet.

Keeping the old courts lined for pickleball takes nothing away from the tennis community. We have been sharing the courts with tennis for years, and use of the three tennis nets is moderate at best. There are also twelve other courts in nearby city parks that can be used for tennis during pickleball priority hours.

Keeping the old courts dual use while adding eight new pickleball courts will grow the maximum capacity at Mountain View Park to twenty courts and expand pickleball playing opportunities for the public. For example, open play can return to Mountain View Park on the new courts while the groups that play on the old courts can continue to operate and relieve pressure from the new courts. 

The choices are clear. We can take the pickleball lines off the old courts, shrink capacity at Mountain View Park, diminish public access to the fastest growing sport in this country, or we can grow pickleball in Escondido, increasing community access to a variety of fun pickleball experiences.

For these reasons, we ask Escondido Recreation to keep the dual- use courts at Mountain View Park lined for pickleball.

By signing this petition, you are advocating for growing pickleball in Escondido in 2026.