In short: One tennis court holds up to four pickleball courts – each just 20ft x 44ft (6.10m x 13.41m) with a portable net at 36in – which is why tennis clubs are the natural home of British pickleball's growth. Sixteen players on a footprint that normally serves four is the maths that's winning over club committees, and set-up takes minutes, not a contractor.
The tennis-court conversion
A standard tennis court with run-offs comfortably hosts four pickleball courts laid crosswise, two either side of the tennis net – or a single centred court if you're just trialling sessions. You need portable nets (36in at the posts, 34in at centre – a tennis net sits at 42in/36in, so it can't simply be lowered) and throw-down lines or tape. No resurfacing, no planning, nothing permanent: an hour later the court is back to tennis. This is precisely how clubs across the UK are running their first pickleball nights.
The dimensions, in full
- Court: 20ft x 44ft – identical for singles and doubles.
- Net: 36in at the posts, 34in at centre.
- Kitchen (non-volley zone): 7ft either side of the net.
- Service boxes: 10ft x 15ft, behind the kitchen line.
- Ideal total playing area: 30ft x 60ft per court for safe run-off.
Programming it at your club
The clubs doing this well start with off-peak slots – weekday mornings, early afternoons – where pickleball fills courts that would otherwise sit empty, then add a social evening once demand shows. It keeps older members active when singles becomes a grind, gives juniors a second racket sport on existing courts, and brings in non-tennis-playing members who'd never have joined otherwise. The buy-in cost is a couple of portable nets and a roll of line tape.
Elsewhere, and at home
Sports halls convert even faster – a pickleball court is exactly a doubles badminton footprint, so leisure centres need only tape and a net. At home, any flat 30ft x 60ft of driveway plus chalk and an outdoor ball does the job. The sport grew this fast precisely because it fits into space that already exists.
Kit for the first club session
Nets and tape are club purchases; personal kit is just a paddle. AIXO's Ghost carbon paddles (~£40) are the sensible club-night fleet, the USAPA-approved Scorpion covers members who catch the competitive bug, and a few spare AIXO overgrips in the kit bag – which fit your tennis rackets too – sort everyone out.
FAQ
Can we play over the existing tennis net?
For a casual first try, some do – but at 42in at the posts it's 6in too high and changes the game. Portable pickleball nets are cheap and set up in minutes.
Will tape or paint damage the court?
Throw-down lines and removable court tape leave no residue on hard courts – ideal while you trial demand before committing to painted lines.
How many players per tennis court?
Four pickleball courts at four players each: sixteen – against four for tennis doubles on the same footprint.
Kit out your club's first pickleball session
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