At the March 23 Park Board Meeting, the Park Board voted yes to approve the Pickleball Annual Special Policies and Pricing for 2023, which will expand access to pickleball play for Glenview residents. Demand is high for opportunities to play Pickleball in Glenview. The sport is growing and provides a wonderful opportunity for the community to enjoy health and happiness with neighbors and friends. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks participation in 120 sports and activities, pickleball has been the fastest growing sport in the U.S. for two years in a row, with nearly 5 million players nationwide.

Over the past few years, the Park District has received consistent feedback from residents wishing to see expanded pickleball opportunities in Glenview. Stakeholder interviews, surveys and community feedback meetings have consistently included comments requesting additional outdoor pickleball courts and expanded access to indoor pickleball play during the off season.

After no less than five public meetings held in the past year, the Park District is pleased to announce the 2023 season will provide residents with the expanded access and more courts they have been asking for.

Beginning March 24, four new dedicated pickleball courts will be available for drop-in play at Gallery Park. This wonderful addition increases our year-round availability to ten dedicated pickleball courts, but also ensures that we have six dedicated courts for drop-in play (two at Flick Park and four at Gallery Park).

Residents who are not yet active pickleball players have expressed a desire for more opportunity to play, but noted the courts are always full. To address these concerns, four dedicated courts at Flick Park will be reserved by the hour through Court Reserve, a reservation app that is currently used at the Glenview Tennis Center and Glenview Prairie Club with great success. The reservation system will be used from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Park District residents will receive priority access to reserve a court at no cost, while non-residents will be charged a nominal fee for court reservations. If any of the four courts have not been reserved, they will remain available for drop-in play.

Additionally, the Park District has expanded play time indoors with expanded drop-in hours at Park Center open gym, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. The Park District will be offering pickleball leagues, programming and special tournaments in Spring, Fall and Winter. Residents can learn about upcoming offerings by checking the Park District’s seasonal program guide or signing up for our weekly e-newsletter.

In November 2022, more than 60 neighbors living along the perimeter of Flick Park have shared feedback that the noise level of play is negatively impacting them. To address this, the Park District has installed sound-reducing acoustical walls, is expanding opportunities to play at other locations and is managing start and end times for play during prime season.

Finally, the Park District has committed to conduct a feasibility study to consider privately-owned land and land owned by other government entities in addition to District-owned property to identify suitable locations for additional new outdoor courts. This feasibility study will also include public feedback opportunities prior to and during the final consideration of recommendations. We anticipate sharing the results of this study at a Board Meeting later this year.