Pickleball is the #1 growing sport in the US with 36.5+ million players. 

Yet there are ZERO free pickleball courts in Sunnyvale, whereas the city offers 36 free tennis courts.

Our proposal to address this unmet need:

Let's start a pickleball pilot on 2 Sunnyvale tennis courts in 2025. 

This pilot could start immediately and with as little as $5,000. Over the course of one year and with a total budget of $100,000, these courts could transition from dual pickleball/tennis use to 100% pickleball use. Our research indicates 4 potential sites in Sunnyvale: Serra Park, Lakewood Park, Encinal Park, Fairwood Park, which are promising thanks to their distance from housing, parking availability, relative low tennis usage and ease to relocate tennis usage to nearby tennis courts. 

Such pickleball pilots have been successful in neighboring cities (Los Altos, Cupertino, Palo Alto, ...) and are much faster and cheaper than new builds. They have shown to be a great way to build a vibrant pickleball community, with pickleball players showing up every day, and at every hour of the day. In addition, the gradual conversion over time enables a smooth and organic transition from tennis to pickleball.

Let’s provide a free place in Sunnyvale where residents of all ages can play and socialize with their neighbors. Let’s improve the physical and mental well-being of everyone in Sunnyvale with this popular and wholesome activity. Let's get a pickleball pilot started without further delay!

Background

In February 2023, the Sunnyvale City Council approved a study issue to assess the needs for additional outdoor sports programs and facilities. This study confirmed that several hundreds of pickleball players live in Sunnyvale but cannot play in their home city. Yet, two years later, no decision has been made and no implementation has started to expand pickleball access in Sunnyvale. The consultants hired by the city have recommended to build new pickleball courts from scratch. We agree with this recommendation for the long term, but it is still at the study stage and will take multiple years and at least $1 million to materialize.

Therefore, to complement these potential future new builds, we propose this pilot to address pickleball needs without delay.

(Image: the vibrant pickleball community at Cupertino Memorial Park playing on what used to be tennis courts. Let's do the same in Sunnyvale!)