El Paso pickleball players fight for more access to city courts

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - Pickleball, a sport with similarities to tennis, is growing in popularity across the country and in the Borderland.

Jamie Fisher, President of the El Paso Pickleball Association, a local organization for Pickleball enthusiasts, says local players have been struggling with finding indoor courts to host them.

Fisher said they have hundreds of players looking to find courts and get into a game.

One of the issues they have been having is not being able to use empty courts at certain time slots.

"For example, they've given court time to volleyball players on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at Palacio and Chamizal, and there's nobody there. But, they won't let us have the time," said Fisher.

Fisher said they have local indoor courts rented from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Fisher has informed ABC-7 that she has a meeting with the City of El Paso's Parks and Recreation Department to address this issue.

In 2022, the county of El Paso transformed some tennis courts into pickleball courts in Ascarate Park, to allow for year-round play.

The dimensions of a tennis court are 74 feet by 36 feet, while a pickleball court is much smaller, with dimensions of 44 feet by 20 feet.

Fisher told ABC-7 that nearby cities, including Las Cruces and Phoenix, have a much larger amount of designated pickleball courts.