Introduction
Following our first piece, we now look at Integrating Pickleball courts into traditional tennis facilities in Australia and the benefits, but also the potential divide this may create between tennis traditionalists, against the emerging and growing number of Pickleball enthusiasts. In my opinion, this convergence of two racquet formats has a range of exciting benefits, and also note some of the common drawbacks. This insight will focus on a range of topics from better land utilisation, a new form of club revenue generation, community interest, and an exciting player experience.
Benefits we are witnessing
Land Utilisation:
Pickleball courts require significantly less space than tennis courts, allowing for the conversion of a single tennis court into up to four pickleball courts. This efficient use of space can enhance underutilised areas within facilities, offering more playing opportunities within the same footprint. Based on the size of the current playing area, the court orientation and run-offs, one (1) traditional-sized tennis court can be converted to four (4) Pickleball courts, suitable for community, social and competitive play.
Revenue Generation:
The growing popularity of pickleball can open new revenue streams for facilities through court rentals, lessons, and tournaments. As seen from our research in the USA and overseas, incorporating Pickleball commonly creates an immediate increase in participation and participant investment return, suggesting similar potential for Australian clubs. For those who have played Pickleball, the most common format is doubles. So with the above images, an area of a tennis court which is typically utilised by two to a maximum of four participants can be utilised by up to 16 participants. With rising costs of facility operations, a larger yield of players per hour is a potential game-changer for operators and committees. We are also seeing significant secondary spend revenue generation, in particular in the purchasing of Padels, which is a growing sporting goods market globally.
Community Engagement:
Pickleball's accessibility attracts a wide demographic, including those who may find tennis physically demanding or who used to play tennis in the past but chose not to due to injury. We have found the social nature of Pickleball and its current demographics foster community spirit and can rejuvenate traditional club atmospheres, potentially drawing in new members and revitalizing interest in racquet sports in your local community. A key to this success is an engaged coach, operator or committee that is driven to deliver the potential of Pickleball in their community. Adding to this when combined in a suitable placemaking environment, or partnered with great food and drink, the levels of community engagement can grow considerably.
Player Experience:
Offering Pickleball can enhance the player experience by bringing together participants of varying skill levels and physical abilities, who typically are unable to play a social sport collectively. This dual offering can cater to a broader community, from competitive tennis players to those seeking a more social, low-impact sport, to those who enjoy a hit, and a drink with friends or family.
Some of the Drawbacks
Traditional Tennis Facility Tensions:
This is the big one, and for those who work across the tennis landscape, you may get a sense of this between the sporting bodies, coaching businesses and clubs with a visible shift in community interest. We know from our research in the USA that the rapid expansion of pickleball has led to tensions in several areas the most common we have witnessed is the traditional with players feeling sidelined by the allocation of court space to pickleball, which is, in essence, a "sports turf war” to use that term. In some instances rushed engagement and lack of general buy-in, friction within facilities is a possibility commonly with those long-standing traditional format tennis members. I will also share some insights in the future on current governance tensions the rise of Pickleball England's experience with the LTA, and the role Sport England as a governing body is playing in accommodating a new form of racquet sport to the scene. This is a big one to watch as it provides a glimpse of potential challenges in the Australian market.
Resource Allocation:
Converting tennis courts to pickleball or adding new ones requires private and government investment in construction, maintenance, and programming. Facilities must then balance these development costs against potential revenue and interest within the catchment of the Pickleball facility, ensuring any potential investment does not disproportionately impact the financial sustainability of the club. In some Local Governments across Australia, we have witnessed hesitation at this phase of the sports development in investing in the conversion of public tennis facilities, with most investment occurring from the private sector on freehold or local government sites that already have underutilised tennis facilities and significant participation decline.
Amenity Concerns:
This one has popped up in our US research, and varies on the demographics and location of the facility, to the urban planning framework within each residential community. For those new to Pickleball, at first, it may be notably noisier than tennis due to the paddle and plastic ball used, and this increased noise level can be a concern for a small segment of nearby residents or other facility users, potentially leading to complaints or the need for sound mitigation measures. We have found that where Pickleball is succeeding and growth is possible, some neighbourhood groups (commonly referred to as NIMBY organisations) have mobilised to stop development based on noise alone, and are unable to recognise the community, social and health benefits of Pickleball participation. In my view, with any land use, appropriate planning, and mitigation can resolve these concerns, and many issues can be mitigated through meaningful engagement within the community.
Cultural Shifts:
When integrating Pickleball into traditionally tennis-focused clubs we have witnessed significant tennis culture adjustments required amongst longstanding members and traditionalists. We recognise for a traditional tennis player to embrace the emerging format of Pickleball, it can involve adapting to a new racquet, ball, playing area, community, rules, and playing style, which might not be readily accepted. With this in mind, we must highlight the need for thorough and planned stakeholder engagement, education and awareness as critical elements we support when undertaking strategic reviews of facility conversions.
Summary
From our research at Urbankind, we firmly believe that introducing Pickleball courts within traditional tennis facilities/clubs or more so underperforming community sporting assets offers significant opportunities for enhanced participation benefits, revenue generation, and community engagement. However, it also poses challenges related to facility dynamics from those resisting and investment hesitation, which is an important consideration in the planning and consultation of any potential facility enhancements.
In saying this in our view many of the initial drawbacks can be overcome with diligent strategic planning and open communication between all stakeholders when all these opportunities and complexities are successfully navigated, the opportunity to enhance the social connectedness of our communities, and the active health benefits, mitigates many of the initial concerns some may have.
If you are a local government planner or a stakeholder keen to learn more about how we can help, we hope these insights have got you thinking, and we look forward to discussing Pickleball with you more in the future.
