After nearly four years of lobbying, Evanston’s pickleball community relished the official grand opening of 15 new pickleball courts at James Park Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s ceremony celebrated the work of the around 30 community advocates who catalyzed Evanston’s pickleball movement. Their work began with campaigning for the installation of temporary indoor courts in the Robert Crown Community Center and culminated with the construction of new courts at James Park, which were completed in October 2025.
“We started kvetching about the fact that there weren’t any pickleball courts, and that the tennis community wasn’t too fond of us,” said Patrick Clear, a volunteer organizer for the local pro-pickleball movement. “And so we started lobbying. We were going to Park Board meetings.”
Six tennis courts used to occupy the paved space at James Park. There are still other public tennis courts throughout the city, such as at Lovelace Park. Clear said Parks, Recreation and Community Services officials will now be permitted to remove the pickleball lines painted onto the court, as he said the tennis community finds them “distracting.”
While Clear recognized the pickleball community’s gain can come at the tennis community’s expense, he added that the new James Park courts will be a major benefit to Evanston’s senior community.
“Coming out of COVID, (pickleball) was tremendous,” Clear said. “Not only the physical outlet, but the social outlet.”
He said he hopes the courts provide an engaging space for all skill levels, across all ages — a sentiment echoed by Parks, Recreation and Community Services Special Event Coordinator Amanda D’Agostino.
D’Agostino said that though her own experience with the trendy paddle sport is limited, pickleball and Evanston are uniquely compatible.
“Pickleball is relevant because of our population. We have young kids that can play, we have seniors,” D’Agostino said. “It’s a low-impact sports movement that everybody can participate in, and that’s kind of what Parks and Recreation is about — providing recreation opportunities for everybody and all abilities.”
Going forward, the new James Park courts will also serve as an outlet for Evanston residents of all ages to connect with their governing municipal bodies.
Sgt. Adam Howard of the Evanston Police Department said he is looking forward to the upcoming “Paddle & Connect” community pickleball event on May 30, during which residents are invited to meet EPD officers for a friendly game on the court.
“I think sports is something that brings people together, brings strangers together,” Howard said. “You can meet someone on the court who also enjoys pickleball, and then you can foster a positive relationship with them.”
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