The Challenge

Transforming Unused Gym Space into a Vibrant Pickleball Community

The City of Emeryville faced a challenge with a beautiful but underutilized gymnasium attached to their community center. While the school occupied the space on weekdays, it remained vacant during weekends. This idle period presented an untapped potential for community engagement and recreational activities. The need was to identify a meaningful way to repurpose the gym and create a sustainable, inclusive recreational initiative that would benefit the community.

Solution

In collaboration with the City of Emeryville, Rec initiated a comprehensive approach to repurpose the idle gymnasium into a thriving pickleball community. This began with essential infrastructure modifications, including the installation of dedicated pickleball lines and nets, creating an inviting space tailored to the needs of pickleball enthusiasts.

Rec then focused on program development, recruiting skilled instructors to lead diverse lessons and programming, ensuring inclusivity for participants of all skill levels. Coordinating open-gym sessions provided flexibility for drop-in play, accommodating varied schedules. Simultaneously, marketing efforts, facilitated in partnership with the City, utilized channels like social media and local publications to raise awareness and attract participants to the newly introduced pickleball programs.