Public Presentation
To: Santa Clara City Council Date: December 9, 2025
From: Craig Larsen
Topic: Public Presentations - Public Pickleball Courts
Dear Mayor Gillmor and Councilmembers,
My name is Craig Larsen, city resident since 1983.
I have been playing pickleball for about two years. Pickleball is an exciting court game enjoyed by players of all ages. I have played pickleball in other cities such as Sunnyvale, San Jose, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, San Bruno and Montevideo, Uruguay. Many of these cities have dedicated public courts for pickleball only.
Sunnyvale has 22 public courts, Palo Alto has 15 public courts. The other cities have many dedicated or mixed use courts. All have facilities such as tables and rest rooms.
At our Central Park near the Community Center, we have six public overlayed pickleball courts which are shared with two tennis courts. The courts are used for open play, scheduled play, and classes. The court lines for each sport are overlayed with contrasting colors. The tennis nets are permanent. Temporary nets are rolled out for pickleball. The courts are in fair condition. However, at a recent private event, the pickleball lines were temporarily defined with colored adhesive tape. When the tape was removed, the adhesive stuck to the court making the existing lines less defined. The lines now look terrible.
At the Central Park facility we use the restrooms at the Community Center but only when the center is open. When the center is closed, such as each Sunday, you have to run elsewhere in the park for a restroom. There are no picnic tables or other areas to rest. There are lights.
In a June 25 Parks and Recreation Community Workshop, the Priority Investment Rating for pickleball facilities was a 75 - medium. From a January 2025 meeting the Senior Advisory Commission was to work with the Parks and Recreation Commission to report monthly on the status of pickleball facilities in Santa Clara. It is not clear where those discussions have led. I can tell you that demand for pickleball is here, evident and increasing.
The Adult Education Gym offers pickleball classes, no open play and 6 courts for rent. You must rent out the entire gym competing with basketball, volleyball and soccer. To date, no one has rented the gym for pickleball. The gym is very busy with existing sports at popular times.
We have a vibrant and engaged group of pickleball players. At the Friday Open Play sessions, the courts often fill with a maximum of 24 players with excess players sitting out awaiting their turn to play. We held a Halloween event and a small tournament. On weekends, you often cannot book a court as they fill fast. Many of my pickleball friends are here tonight.
What we want are dedicated pickleball courts, properly lined, and netted. We need picnic style tables and nearby restrooms.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Grang are
Craig Larsen—
2714 Barkley Ave.
(408) 244-0156
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