WILMINGTON — On Wednesday morning more than a dozen players, paddles in tow, took to the dual-use pickleball and tennis courts at Robert Strange Park for their daily routine.
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The park welcomes players of all ages and skill sets each morning — often resulting in a waitlist on sunny weekends — to recreate and find an opponent.
While the courts suit their needs, what the hobbyists and athletes from Cape Fear Pickleball Club really want is a place to call their own. They’re pushing for the city to designate land for outdoor pickleball-only courts.
With support from the Wilmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, the club has found a vacant tract of land it’s hoping to convert to support the growing popularity of the sport in the area.
In the last 18 months, Cape Fear Pickleball Club membership has jumped by more than 300 individuals, parallel to the nationwide trend. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball participants across the U.S. have increased nearly 40% over the last two years, marking it the fastest-growing sport.
When meeting with Wilmington city staff last year, pickleball club members learned of a vacant tract at Empie Park. The roughly 2-acre grass area was previously developed as a softball field. It was reclaimed into the park during a previous park improvement project, providing additional open space for visitors.
City spokesperson Dylan Lee said the softball field was demolished in 2018 to make way for five additional tennis courts with lighting, 61 parking spaces, connection between Park and Wrightsville avenues, and sidewalk connections to the Cross City Trail.
“There’s not a whole lot of land anywhere,” pickleball club and parks and rec board member Ron Woodruff told Port City Daily. “We need to jump on this to get our foot in the door.”
The parks and rec advisory board will make a formal ask to city council in the coming months. Typically the parks and rec board signs off on requests from the city, but this time it’s the one making the request. “This is a first,” Woodruff said.
“We cannot compel the city to take any action but we can and should be proactive in advising and recommending the city take certain action when appropriate,” Woodruff wrote in an email to the parks and rec board earlier this month.
He was pushing for the board to ask city council to consider “first right of use” for the parcel.
“Not asking for funding or studies, just let us have a shot at it,” Woodruff said.
The board supported the idea, along with more than 720 residents who signed a petition advocating for the courts. It urges support for a permanent facility that “aligns with the values of our community and the goals of promoting health, social interaction, and recreational opportunities.”
While on board with the club’s ambitions, city director of community services Amy Beatty suggested an amendment to the parks and rec board’s request during a September meeting.
According to Woodruff, Beatty told the parks and rec board it would be better off asking the city to fund a feasibility study — which could cost up to $30,000 — to outline whether a pickleball facility would even work on that property based on grading, drainage, and other factors.
“I politely rolled my eyes,” Woodruff recalled of the meeting, though he and the club members agreed to proceed with Beatty’s suggestion.
The Cape Fear Pickleball Club currently has 860 members, with limited space to play on designated courts. In the county there are 12 publicly accessible pickleball-only courts, with six at Northern Regional Park in Castle Hayne and six at Arrowhead Park.
Wrightsville Beach has four permanent pickleball courts at 1 Bob Sawyer Road. Roughly another 30 courts exist throughout New Hanover as dual-use tennis courts, with lines painted for both sports and requiring portable nets.
While Woodruff said many tennis courts have been painted to include pickleball lines, it can be confusing for newcomers to the sport.
“It’s not perfect but it’s playable,” he said, noting the tennis courts are also usually overcrowded. “Tennis has always been king.”
When pickleball players want to use the courts, the permanent tennis nets must come down and be replaced with the pickleball nets — shorter because the balls used don’t bounce the same as in tennis.
The city recently allowed the Cape Fear Pickleball Club to paint lines on eight tennis courts at Legion Stadium, at the club’s expense. It cost roughly $5,000 for the club to hire a contractor to paint the lines and also purchase portable nets and storage boxes.
“[It] was great and provided more courts than we had before, but we’re still looking to get permanent courts,” Woodruff said.
The land in question is already outfitted with restroom facilities on site, though plumbing would have to be reconnected. There is also dedicated parking adjacent to the lot, adding to the amenities already in place to reduce development cost.
A separate entrance to the back end of Empie Park off Wrightsville Avenue, distanced from residential areas, would ensure “minimal interference with tennis and park activities,” according to the petition.
If the city were to allow the Empie Park land to be used for pickleball, the question of how it would be funded is still in play. Members of the pickleball club each pay $25 annual dues, to go toward balls and portable nets.
“We don’t want to put money in unless the city is committed to giving us the land,” Woodruff said, though they are willing to figure it out and would even consider chipping in for the feasibility study.
He estimated it could cost up to $50,000 to construct eight dedicated pickleball courts.
In Wilson, North Carolina — population around 50,000 — the city and its tourism authority recently constructed a $4.2-million pickleball and tennis complex using occupancy tax revenue, with the hopes of recruiting tournaments to town. Woodruff pointed to it as an example of places smaller than Wilmington advocating for the sport.
The Wilmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will bring forth a motion again at its Oct. 18 meeting with the updated language. If it passes, it could move to city council for approval.
“It sits in the wings now,” Woodruff said.
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