URGENT: RACQUET SPORTS STRATEGY RESPONSE
SMPA is a unified voice for Pickleball players throughout the Seattle region. Together we are more powerful and stronger.
While it's understandable that individual communities want to save their specific courts, we want to make sure everyone can continue to play.
Please join us and support our combined strategy by adding your signature to our petition for a city-wide pause and change to the proposal.
LET US PLAY!
SMPA Response to the Racquet sports strategy
The pickleball community has come together in force to make our voices heard on the Seattle Parks and Recreation Racquet Sports Strategy (RSS) draft. We filled the room at the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners meeting on April 23, and showed up again in full at Bitter Lake Community Center on May 4.
We showed up. We spoke out.
Let’s keep the momentum going—join us and pack the public meeting on May 7 from 6–8 PM at Garfield Community Center and May 9 from 10:30-12:30 at Van Asselt Community Center.
This presentation, developed by SMPA with direct input from the community, was delivered to Seattle Parks and Recreation on May 5, 2026.
Join the SMPA and fight!
- The attached maps illustrate how SPR's Racquet Sports Strategy (RSS) eliminates 36 pickleball courts from 7 locations.
- The total number of pickleball courts in Seattle will decrease from 92 to 56 courts. Tennis will retain 114 tennis courts per SPR, more than double the courts of pickleball.
- Pickleball growth far exceeds the prioritization and support given, outpacing tennis for 3 years, increasing 51% in 2023, 45% in 2024 and 22% in 2025. Why does the city of Seattle refuse to create court usage in pace with the stats?
- All day open play at 7 locations in Seattle looks good on paper, until you realize the RSS budget won't resurface crumbling pickleball courts, forces players off courts they've been using for years, and forces players apart from established player communities and onto hubs and paired locations that won't exist until 2029, if we're lucky.
View the Outdoor Racquet Sports Strategy here.
Did you know:
- Starting June 22, Seattle is shuttering 7 pickleball locations and removing SMPA’s community-funded nets from those locations.
- There was insufficient or no data provided to validate the proposed RSS plan.
- The growth of pickleball far exceeds the prioritization and support given.
- Badly needed pickleball court expansion plans aren’t supported in the RSS budget.
- Seattle hasn’t resurfaced a pickleball court since 2023.
- Seattle players seek to play on new courts in neighboring cities rather than Seattle’s crumbling pickleball courts.
- Seattle is taking play away from underserved communities like Rainier Beach.
- Seattle’s RSS is relying on private facilities to meet demand in the short and long term, when many players can’t afford this option.
- Seattle continues to underrepresent the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., Washington’s official state sport.
Petition to Protect Our Seattle Pickleball Courts
- Preserve existing pickleball access on these 36 dual-use courts until the new pickleball courts are built.
- Force SPR to study alternatives that expand access for both tennis and pickleball players, rather than reducing court availability.
- Ensure that new plans support the equity, inclusion, and community-building intrinsic to pickleball in Seattle’s parks.
What can I do?
- Join SMPA for $20/year. Your membership is critical to building a strong, urgent voice in our fight against the RSS proposal.
- Contact the Mayor.
- Contact the City Council.
- Contact the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissions.
- Contact SPR’s Jonathan Garner at jonathan.garner@seattle.gov or (206) 619-9725.
- State your opinions in SPR’s online survey by May 11th 3 PM.
Public Meetings
Attend one or all of the public meetings
4/23 (Thur) 6pm – Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners (IN PERSON or VIRTUAL) 
- Attend in person at 100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
- Join VIRTUAL
- To make public comments at Board Meetings:
Please sign up to make public comment ahead of time by emailing PKS_BPRC@seattle.gov before 4:00 pm on the day of the meeting. Additional instructions can be found on the meeting agenda
5/4 (Mon) 6:30pm – Bitter Lake Community Center (IN PERSON)
- 50 minutes public comments period.
- Sign up to speak at the door when you arrive. Door opens at 6:00.
- This meeting will be held at District 5, scheduled to lose 4 courts (Soundview)
- We reserved Bitter Lake tennis courts 3 and 4 for 5/4 from 5:30 to 6:30. Come play with us, and we can head to the meeting together!
5/7 (Thur) 7pm – Garfield Community Center (IN PERSON)
- 40 minutes public comments period
- This meeting will be held at District 3. None of the impacted courts are in District 3.
5/9 (Sat) 10:30am – Van Asselt Community Center (IN PERSON)
- 40 minutes public comments period
- This meeting will be held at District 2, scheduled to lose 12 courts (Rainier Beach and Brighton).
Write Letters. Request Meetings.
Let Us Play!
Seattle Parks & Recreation’s proposed Racquet Sports Strategy will eliminate dual-use courts – 36 pickleball courts, across Seattle. Public hearings are approaching, and now is the time for pickleball players, families, and community members to speak up.
We support fair solutions that serve both tennis and pickleball players — not policies that reduce access to the Washington State Sport.
CITY COUNCIL
Five Seattle City Council districts are directly impacted by proposed pickleball court losses. Of those five impacted districts, four are represented by councilmembers who currently serve on the City Council Parks Committee — the committee responsible for oversight of Seattle Parks & Recreation. That means the decision-makers closest to this issue are already in positions to act.
PICKLEBALL Courts Lost by District
| District | Councilmember | Parks Committee Member | Area (Courts) | Courts Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Rob Saka | Yes | West Seattle (Alki, Walt Hundley) | 8 |
| District 2 | Eddie Lin | No | South Seattle (Rainier Beach, Brighton) | 12 |
| District 5 | Debora Juarez | Yes – Chair | North Seattle (Soundview) | 4 |
| District 6 | Dan Strauss | Yes | Northwest Seattle (Gilman, Magnolia) | 12 |
Racquet Sports Strategy plans to close 36 pickleball courts on June 22.
Write a letter or email
Include your full name and contact info for responses; handwritten or typed letters stand out more than email.
- Share your personal pickleball story: how you discovered the sport, what it brings to your life, and why these 36 courts matter to you.
- Help your Councilmember understand, in your own words, how losing these courts would affect you and your community.
- Your voice carries weight, and a handwritten letter shows real commitment.
- End your letter with our tagline LET US PLAY!
| Contact | Action | Address / Email |
|---|---|---|
| Your City Councilmember | Write and mail a letter | PO Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025 |
| Mayor Wilson 206-680-4000 | Write and mail a letter | PO Box 94749, Seattle, WA 98124-4749 |
| Board of Parks & Recreation Commissioners (BPRC) | Send an email | PKS_BPRC@seattle.gov |
Some Councilmembers have a link to “request a meeting” on their sites, or you can request by email. Tell them how you feel about the Racquet Sports Strategy!
How do I stay informed?
- Bookmark our website
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
- Join the Seattle Pickleball Discord server where we share updates, connect, and collaborate.
- Have questions for SMPA? Contact us here.
