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Duvall Center sees heavy indoor pickleball demand; staff to survey players on hours and possible fees
Summary
Parks staff told the board that indoor pickleball at the Robert & Lee Duvall Center has grown substantially, prompting a planned survey of players on preferred hours, skill-level time slots and possible user fees to manage demand.
Staff told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that indoor pickleball at the Robert & Lee Duvall Center has expanded from about 9 weekly hours in 2023 to 23.5 hours in 2024 and that current demand often produces long waits.
Phil said the program draws both local residents and nonresidents from neighboring Denton County cities. Board members described a mix of “social” players and more competitive players and urged staff to collect data on player skill levels so the facility can allocate time slots by experience. One board member suggested using a player-rating system to define social, intermediate and competitive sessions.
Staff recommended a short survey of the Duvall Center pickleball community to collect preferences on hours, skill-level time slots, willingness to pay user fees and resident versus nonresident access. Phil said the city is conducting a larger fee study and that pickleball user fees may be considered as part of that analysis; any change to fees would return to the board for a recommendation to council.
Board members proposed operational ideas that staff said they would include on the survey: keep no-cost hours but add fee-based reservation blocks for guaranteed play; create separate time blocks for beginner, intermediate and competitive play; evaluate weekday incubator hours (Wednesdays) to test new formats; and consider resident/nonresident fee differentials.
Staff said the survey will go out in October, will be promoted on-site with QR codes and will be emailed to players who sign in. Phil and Andrew (assistant director) said the immediate goal is to better align hours and offerings with player expectations, not to make a sudden change to the existing culture of play.
Ending
Staff will circulate the survey in October, analyze results and report back to the board with recommendations on scheduling changes, potential fee options and any trial hours for intermediate or competitive play.
