Vancouver has built a reputation as a leader in wellness, sport, and active living. From cycling paths to community centres, the city has shown its commitment to healthy lifestyles. But when it comes to one of the fastest-growing sports in North America—pickleball—Vancouver is falling behind, so we’ve launched a campaign to get more pickleball courts in Vancouver.
Pickleball promotes physical activity, mental health, and social connection for all ages. However, the demand for public courts in Vancouver far exceeds supply. Courts are overcrowded, wait times are long, and access is limited.
To bring our infrastructure in line with both public interest and Vancouver’s wellness goals, we respectfully urge the City to:
- Build more dedicated public pickleball courts across Vancouver
- Create or expand multi-use sport spaces to include pickleball
- Include pickleball in future recreation planning and the 2025 city budget
Let’s ensure Vancouver continues to lead in promoting active, healthy, and connected communities.
Together, let’s rally for MORE: More courts. More play. More community.
Letter we sent to the Vancouver Parks Board – October 2025
We appreciate the Park Board’s recognition of pickleball’s rapid growth in Vancouver and are grateful for all that has been done to make play possible. We fully understand the sport’s popularity boom as pickleball offers tremendous benefits to both individuals and the broader community.
We are well aware of the current play options available and were pleased to assist with the opening of the Rupert Park and Memorial South Park pop-up courts in early September. Twelve VPA volunteers helped line the courts and set up the temporary nets. We are also happy to report that VPA court ambassadors have been assigned to these courts, which, like all others across the city, are already busy with play.
Unfortunately, as outlined in our petition, the existing play spaces remain far below demand, and most lack the essentials such as proper court surfaces, painted lines, fixed permanent nets, and ball barriers. Other municipalities have prioritized pickleball development, and we are struggling to understand why Vancouver continues to lag. This leads us to ask: how can we assist in speeding up the timeline?
Key limiting factors affecting pickleball development in Vancouver include:
Insufficient Court-to-Population Ratio: Only 38 outdoor courts serve more than 680,000 residents. This is far below comparable cities.
Temporary Infrastructure: Most neighbourhood courts are designated as temporary. Permanent, pickleball-exclusive courts are urgently needed to meet growing demand.
Indoor Registration Demand: Community centre pickleball programs fill immediately upon registration opening.
Delayed Strategy Implementation: We have been aware of the Sport Court Strategy since 2018, yet no clear timeline or locations for improvements have been shared.
Vision for a Central Hub: We are advocating for a dedicated pickleball hub of 12–16 courts with tournament capability within two years. Planning and stakeholder collaboration are essential.
While we appreciate that the Sport Court Strategy is in development, we are deeply concerned that its completion and implementation timeline will not address the urgent need for greater access by this coming spring and summer. We respectfully request:
A clear timeline for the release and implementation of the Sport Court Strategy.
A formal meeting with Park Board management to discuss near- and long-term development solutions.
A commitment to making the Jericho and Champlain courts permanent by spring 2026.
Attached is our press release summarizing the petition results, which we shared with our membership and the wider community. Transparency and public engagement are crucial to building momentum and fostering a shared understanding.
More courts. More play. More community.
Sincerely,
Vancouver Pickleball Association
On behalf of 1,486 petition signers