"Non-dedicated" pickleball courts are located at the Grand Island Tennis Center. "Temporary" pickleball courts are set up on space where tennis courts are located. Temporary nets are placed for the pickleball courts. (Courtesy)
GRAND ISLAND – The president of the Grand Island Pickleball Club is concerned that the revised plan for the Veteran’s Village Good Life District project does not mention including pickleball courts in the “Proposed Terms” document that is included in the Dec. 9 City Council packet.
The City Council will discuss at the Dec. 9 meeting Woodsonia Real Estate’s revised plan for development of the Veteran’s Village Good Life District project.
Inclusion of indoor pickleball courts at the indoor Sport Complex is not mentioned in the “Proposed Terms” document that Woodsonia Real Estate submitted that is included in the packet for the Dec. 9 City Council meeting.
Karen Johnson of Grand Island is president of the Grand Island Pickleball Club. She said Dec. 6 that the indoor Sports Complex should have eight to twelve “dedicated” pickleball courts. That means that the courts are only used for pickleball.
City Council member Ryan O’Neill said that although the “Proposed Terms” document does not mention having pickleball courts at the indoor Sports Complex, plans for the Sports Complex include having pickleball courts that would be located on multi-purpose courts.
“The athletic complex is designed as a true multi-purpose space and should include permanent floor markings for pickleball alongside basketball and volleyball on the main courts. Facilities like Kinetic and Speedway in Lincoln successfully use this shared-court model, offering regularly scheduled indoor pickleball times while still supporting other sports throughout the day, including mat-based activities,” Ryan O’Neill said.
“It is my understanding that this same approach is intended here, and I want to see that commitment including pickleball line markings and scheduled uses for courts clearly documented in the project plans,” Ryan O’Neill said.
Karen Johnson has commented about why “dedicated” pickleball courts are preferred over pickleball courts located on multi-purpose courts. With dedicated pickleball courts, pickleball players know that those courts would be available all of the time. If pickleball courts are located on multi-purpose courts, pickleball courts are available for fewer hours.
For instance, if weekend basketball or volleyball tournaments are scheduled at the indoor Sports Complex, space would likely not be available for pickleball courts during that time. Pickleball courts located on multi-purpose courts have two factors that aren’t preferred. First, portable nets for the pickleball courts on multi-purpose courts have to be moved to the space every time the space will be used for pickleball courts. Second, confusion can occur, because lines for multiple courts (such as volleyball and pickleball) are located in the same area, making it challenging for pickleball players to locate the pickleball court lines.
Grand Island does not have any dedicated indoor pickleball courts. Pickleball athletes currently play indoors at the City Fieldhouse, Grand Island YMCA, and Grand Island Tennis Center. At those sites, pickleball courts are set up on a temporary basis for use during cold weather. So for instance, tennis courts at the Grand Island Tennis Center are converted for some use during the week as pickleball courts. Confusion can exist because of the pickleball court lines and lines for other sports being on the same court.
The City Fieldhouse has three non-dedicated courts available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, Johnson said. The Grand Island YMCA has nets available for two pickleball courts but there are no clear lines for pickleball. The Grand Island Tennis Center can have six non-dedicated courts, but with every use, they have to lay down new pickleball court lines, she said. So there’s a total of 11 indoor “non-dedicated” pickleball courts.
The Pickleball Club currently has 221 members who pay annual dues of $25 per person. Johnson estimates that 1,500 to 2,000 people play pickleball in Grand Island, and the sport continues to boom in popularity for youth through senior citizens.
Johnson said that she has not talked to Mayor Roger Steele or Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy since the Nov. 12 meeting when Woodsonia Real Estate staff presented plans for the Veteran’s Village Good Life District project, including an indoor Sports Complex. Johnson said that conversations have not occurred because pickleball players don’t “feel we will get anywhere.”
“I honestly am tired of answering why it’s important to have indoor pickleball courts,” Johnson said. “There is a large contingency of players, old and young, who play, and it is like any other sport that people need and want to have a place to play.”
Grand Island players travel to Kearney to play indoors because of the lack of availability of indoor courts in Grand Island. People who play in tournaments travel to Lincoln or Omaha, she said.
Outdoors, there are eight dedicated pickleball courts at Eagle Scout Park and six dedicated pickleball courts at Stolley Park.
The Grand Island Tennis Center has a pickleball league on Wednesday nights, but that may be ending, Johnson said.
“When I go to Kearney to play, I typically shop there also. We will also go out to dinner together, have a drink, etc., after playing. During tournaments, this is typically a four- to five-hour day, and we will all go out together afterwards,” Johnson said.
The Pickleball Club has sponsored outdoor tournaments.
“Our past tournaments have been held at the Veterans Complex that has eight dedicated courts. We average 75 players for our tournament. We do limit the number of players to sign up because of limited court space,” Johnson said.
Pickleball Club representatives have met with Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy about the need for dedicated indoor pickleball courts. The last meeting was in mid-September, Johnson said.
“We are out of the loop in knowing what is going on about pickleball courts at the proposed site,” Johnson said.
A Woodsonia Real Estate representative has mentioned the possibility of having 32 “non-dedicated” pickleball courts at the indoor Sports Complex. One court measures 20 feet by 44 feet, Johnson said. Safety space around each court should be a minimum of 10 to 15 feet on the sides and 20 feet between courts end to end, she said.
“If my math is correct … they are looking at the size of two football fields without any safety spaces between courts,” Johnson said.
“There is also the matter of 32 portable nets that have to be moved and stored after use,” she said.
Having non-dedicated pickleball courts “makes no sense to me when you can have a much smaller, safer space for eight to 12 dedicated courts, and no worries about who gets to use it. I’m sure basketball and volleyball players would agree,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that if dedicated pickleball courts are not included in the indoor Sports Complex, “the odds are low of getting any indoor (dedicated) courts anytime soon, and I’m sure we would be required to raise funds for it, just like we had to for the outdoor facilities.”
The average age of a pickleball player is 34.8 years old, according to data from the Association of Pickleball Professionals, as of 2025, a figure that has been steadily decreasing as the sport gains popularity among younger demographics, Johnson said. While it was once considered a sport for older adults, younger players are now a major driving force in its growth, Johnson said. More than 70 percent of avid players are between the ages of 18 and 44.
More indoor courts are needed to allow for space available to teach pickleball lessons, Johnson said. She is a certified pickleball instructor for beginning, intermediate, and advanced pickleball players.
Johnson said that the cost per hour for indoor pickleball courts varies. The Sports Complex in Kearney charged $16 per hour per court. The Grand Island Tennis Center charges $6 to $9 per two hours per player. The City Fieldhouse charges $5.50 for the day, she said.
Woodsonia’s Good Life District application said, “Pickleball currently has a small presence in Grand Island, but an efficiently operated indoor space with programming for a variety of court sports could incorporate pickleball to help fill daytime hours.”
