This project will be an upgrade from the 18 courts the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club currently uses at multiple locations. They are converted tennis courts that were resurfaced, but some quickly started to crack, making them less than ideal. Some of the current venues also lack parking, and some are in neighborhood parks, leading to noise complaints.
Accessibility and a steady surface are big factors for Hays, who plays in a wheelchair.
“ Even though they got resurfaced, they’ re built on old tennis courts,” said Hays, the foundation’ s president.“ I think we started to see cracks within... two weeks. I went to a drop serve( from) a bounce serve. Now it’ s really hard to find a place to drop that ball.”
The new site is a public-private partnership, with Lane Community College owning the complex and being a community resource, but Emerald Valley providing the financing for the project. More financing came through a voter-approved tax levy in 2022.
“ We’ re TrackTown USA,” Hays said.“ We just also want to be PickleballTown USA.
“ This would more than double the amount of courts we have in Eugene and Springfield.”
Making use of the courts at the new facility won’ t be an issue. Emerald Valley started with about 30 members in 2016 and has blossomed into a club with 800 duespaying members. Wold said that about 5,000 people in the community play pickleball.
The complex will also allow Emerald Valley to expand its programming to include clinics, leagues and tournaments for traditional and adaptive players. Currently, there is a ladder league and a Memorial Day
weekend tournament that the club runs, but even that was limited due to the facility used.
“ I think it will grow the club, because people want entry into pickleball that isn’ t just one time— to have more opportunities to play with people who play like them,” Hays said.
“ The club does work with one of our local drug and alcohol programs, inpatient programs. They go out and play pickleball, but it’ s this whole‘ Are we going to get courts? Can we hold courts?’ But when we have the new facility, we’ ll be able to reserve those courts so people know they can play. I think it’ ll grow through people being able to do clinics, skills and drills. They’ ll be able to do ladder leagues; they’ ll be able to do tournaments that will all bring people in.”
While plans are moving forward for the spring groundbreaking in part because of the USA Pickleball grant, fundraising for the project is continuing to make sure the facility will have as many amenities as possible.
Hays and Wold have each worked in a county or city government capacity, which helped the club navigate the approval process. Hays added that the support of USA Pickleball for the project has“ really infused a lot of energy” within the club and the community.
“ We’ ve had letters of support from USA Pickleball for some of our efforts, and now it’ s nice that we can not only say we’ ve had letters of support, but that they’ re actually helping fund it,” Wold said.“ It’ s great.”
Steve Drumwright is a journalist based in Murrieta, California. He is a freelance contributor to USA Pickleball on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025 | MAGAZINE 61