A recent research study by RacquetX and LT (Lane Terralever) reveals that most racquet sports players still go to public courts to enjoy their practices and games.

But all too often, communities, parks and recreation departments simply don't have the funds or support to build, expand, or remodel their courts.

The growing popularity of pickleball and the emergence of padel present additional challenges for these entities, who want to respond to their communities' needs but struggle with how to begin and how to afford these in-demand improvements and changes.

Public/private partnerships are becoming commonplace. For example, The Fort in Florida and the Wollman Rink courts in New York City are made possible by private funding.

We recently sat down with Todd Carlson, Director, Tennis Venue Services, Parks & CTAs, and USTA National Campus. A speaker at RacquetX, he is a leading authority on how municipalities, communities, and parks departments can meet the demand for public courts.

What is the USTA seeing regarding public/private partnerships to encourage court building and maintenance?

"Due to government budget restrictions and the community demands, we have seen an influx in public/private partnerships. Being able to leverage multiple investors and donors to provide the supply to the public demand for the growth in racquet and paddle sports.

Developers are seeing the value of incorporating tennis, pickleball, and padel to become a competitive advantage over other properties while driving customers to their restaurants, hotels, and housing assets.

Government budget constraints and community demands have led to a surge in public-private partnerships. This enables the utilization of multiple investors and donors to meet the growing demand for racquet and paddle sports. Developers recognize the strategic value of integrating tennis, pickleball, and padel into their properties, giving them a competitive advantage.

Moreover, these facilities serve as customer magnets for associated amenities like restaurants, hotels, and housing assets."

How can tennis and pickleball co-exist within today's limited spaces?

"The availability of space for tennis and pickleball courts varies from location to location. Many innovative court designs have been implemented to accommodate both sports without adversely affecting either one. However, given the growing popularity of both sports, adding blended pickleball lines to tennis courts has led to increased player conflicts."

What trends do you see in public court-building?

"In many cases, this has been the Wild west without standards or guidelines supporting tennis and pickleball while maintaining within public budgets. USTA, park professionals, court contractors, and Brio2 consulting developed a Statement of Guidance to help these organizations take a step-by-step process to achieve their goals of supporting their citizens. We have seen the success of this throughout the country."

Are any notable brands supporting public play?

"We try to stay neutral as a national governing body when it comes to supporting one manufacturer over another."

Do you have an example of a community that's "doing it right?"

"The City of Boulder has done a wonderful job evaluating its citizens' demands for both tennis and pickleball. Their end result is to build 22 new tennis courts, 22 new pickleball courts, and reconstruct its existing tennis courts into post-tension concrete. All of this is to be completed by 2030."

What's the USTA's role?

"USTA’s Tennis Venue Services provides support for any public or private development through technical, business, advocacy, and park consultation services free of charge. We also offer grant funding for amenities, resurfacing, reconstruction, and new construction of public facilities. All of this supports both public and private development efforts. You can learn more at usta.com/facilities."

For more about how YOU can bring more high-quality courts to your town or city, join us at RacquetX, where Todd Carlson, Kevin Kane, the CEO of Memphis Tourism, and Brent Latham, the Mayor of North Bay Village will share more about how private/public partnerships can benefit communities.

PLUS, the USTA will be bringing a wide range of other insights and experiences to the festival.

• Brooke Austin, Director, Digital Business will speak about USTA Connect
• Learn about the ITF World Tennis Number, the USTA rating system in 170+ countries
• Experience Cardio Tennis on one of the nine RacquetX demo courts
• Visit the USTA at Booth #725 and (after you have your tickets) download the app!