Equal Courts: Adopt the 90–90 Racquet Sports Plan for Seattle's Public Parks

Michele Finnegan, Interim Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Dear Seattle Pickleball Players,

Seattle's public courts should reflect how Seattle residents use them.

Seattle's tennis and pickleball communities are roughly equal in size — but our public courts are not. Seattle Parks and Recreation currently provides an effective court capacity of about 112 courts for tennis versus just 44.5 for pickleball, and 60 lighted tennis courts versus 28 for pickleball. Tennis players get nets installed by the city at every court; most pickleball courts have no nets at all.

The good news is that Seattle does not need to spend millions of dollars or wait years for new construction to address this imbalance. The city can achieve fairer access by better allocating courts that already exist. The detailed, location-by-location plan 'A Feasible Plan for Achieving Outdoor Racquet Sports Equality in Seattle in 2026' shows how Seattle can reach a 50–50 allocation of effective court capacity (90 courts each) within months, primarily through administrative designations of the 83 existing dual-lined courts, plus nets, high-visibility yellow lines, noise-abatement measures where neighbors are affected, and modest relining at Solstice Park. High school tennis commitments are preserved, and the plan builds in room for 26–36 additional pickleball courts as the sport keeps growing.

Tennis players keep 90 dedicated courts under this plan — including every high school commitment. This rebalances courts that are already shared between the sports; it does not eliminate tennis. The plan even returns Magnolia's south courts to tennis-only in response to neighbor noise concerns.

Seattle is unlikely to fund a wave of new courts, and new construction takes years. The fair, fast path to equality is the courts the city already has.

Please sign this petition to ask Seattle Parks and Recreation to adopt the plan and implement it this year.

Equal participation deserves equal access.

To: Michele Finnegan, Interim Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation
From: [Your Name]

Dear Interim Superintendent Finnegan,

We, the undersigned Seattle residents, ask Seattle Parks and Recreation to adopt "A Feasible Plan for Achieving Outdoor Racquet Sports Equality in Seattle in 2026" and implement it this year.

Seattle's tennis and pickleball communities are roughly equal in size — but our public courts are not. Seattle Parks and Recreation currently provides an effective court capacity of about 112 courts for tennis versus just 44.5 for pickleball, and 60 lighted tennis courts versus 28 for pickleball. Tennis players get nets installed by the city at every court; most pickleball courts have no nets at all.

A detailed, location-by-location plan called 'A Feasible Plan for Achieving Outdoor Racquet Sports Equality in Seattle in 2026,' and available at https://timeforpickleball.com/RacquetSportsEquality — shows how Seattle can reach a 50–50 allocation of effective court capacity (90 courts each) within months, primarily through administrative designations of the 83 existing dual-lined courts, plus nets, high-visibility yellow lines, noise-abatement measures where neighbors are affected, and modest relining at Solstice Park. High school tennis commitments are preserved, and the plan builds in room for 26–36 additional pickleball courts as the sport keeps growing.

Tennis players keep 90 dedicated courts under this plan — including every high school commitment. This rebalances courts that are already shared between the sports; it does not eliminate tennis. The plan even returns Magnolia's south courts to tennis-only in response to neighbor noise concerns.

Seattle is unlikely to fund a wave of new courts, and new construction takes years. The fair, fast path to equality is the courts the city already has.

Equal participation deserves equal access.