Pickleball Players Advocate for New Courts in Park Improvements

Pickleball fans scored a small win last week when the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation installed two portable toilets next to the Congress Park pickleball courts. As pickleball's popularity continues to grow in Denver, players celebrate small wins while pushing for the city to invest in the sport.

Marc Nelson, an avid player, was elected president of the Denver Metro Pickleball Association last month; he immediately started advocating for improvements at Congress Park, his home courts. According to Nelson, these are the most popular courts in the metro area, and while there's almost always a wait for a pickleball court, the nearby tennis courts are frequently empty.

As part of his advocacy, Nelson asked Deputy Executive Director of Recreation John Martinez to visit Congress Park. While Martinez was there, players reminded him of their push for the city to quadruple the park’s four pickleball courts when it resurfaces the tennis courts in the coming year. They also mentioned the need for public facilities.

Within a couple of hours, Martinez had secured the toilets, much to the joy of local pickleball players. Helen Fullard, a member of the Congress Park Pickleball Facebook group, posted, “My early valentines. Best prezzie ever. Not sure who pulled strings to make this happen but you are so very much appreciated.”

Nelson says he’s grateful that Parks and Recreation is listening; he'd previously felt ignored by the department. He’s long advocated for the city to increase the number of Congress Park courts to sixteen, especially once the department announced that, because of noise complaints from neighbors, the courts would be moving west into the interior of the park. Given the popularity of pickleball, eight was the minimum number that would be acceptable, he said.

And now it looks like Nelson may get that eight. In an email to Westword, the department confirms that in addition to rebuilding the four courts after the move, it will be converting one of the park's seven tennis courts into four pickleball courts. That will give Congress Park eight pickleball courts and six tennis courts.

The United States Tennis Association requires six tennis courts for league play; if the department wants to remain within those limits, it can't convert any more tennis courts.

Some hope it can still build more pickleball courts from scratch, and community members who want to weigh in should look for a community survey soon, according to the department. Construction at Congress Park is targeted for late 2022.

Another Denver park could soon get its first pickleball courts. Parks and Recreation is currently conducting a survey for updates to Rosamond Park, which received $2,375,000 in funding through Elevate Denver and RISE bonds in 2020 and 2021, respectively, to upgrade the playground, basketball and tennis courts at the southeast Denver park. The survey, which closes March 1, asks residents if they’re interested in adding pickleball to the park’s offerings. On the survey's interactive map, which lets residents add notes, one comment placed at the tennis court says pickleball would be nice.

And on the comment wall, one person notes that the closest pickleball courts are twenty minutes away by car; another praises the department’s recent addition of courts at Eisenhower Park.

“Pickleball courts would be considered if there is strong interest from the public and would most likely be included in the tennis court redesign,” says Cyndi Karavski, a marketing and communications specialist with Parks and Recreation. The Rosamund project is set to start construction in fall of 2023; Parks and Recreation will hold a public meeting on March 10 to discuss design ideas.

The department is also working on an overall Outdoor Adventures & Alternative Sports Master Plan; it will hold a meeting for people interested in being part of the planning process on February 24.

Nelson hopes that the city considers pickleball an intrinsic part of the city's recreational options and prioritizes the sport, as Phoenix has; he wants to work with members of Denver City Council and Parks and Recreation officials to identify where courts would be most useful in Denver. He also wants the city to invest in a pickleball hub that would draw locals and tourists alike.

“Where will be the premier destination for pickleball in the city?” Nelson asks. While he admits he hopes that such a hub would be in Congress Park, he's certain that Denver's pickleball fans will be happy to welcome new courts wherever they might be built.