VIENNA, Va. — A new petition with hundreds of signatures is calling on Fairfax County to add more pickleball courts.
Fairfax County Advocates for Pickleball Providence District representative Peter Montanino is behind the petition.
"We're a group that was started two years ago specifically to advocate the county for more courts. We were able to in a little over four weeks get 1,400 signatures," said Montanino.
He says they're petitioning the Board of Supervisors to convert two of the existing tennis courts to dedicated pickleball courts at Nottoway Park.
"It's centrally located and it's close to Vienna which would help Vienna solve the problem they've been having with noise," said Montanino.
He's referring to the motion passed in January by the Town of Vienna that implemented designated pickleball play time – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9 a.m. to 7 a.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Glyndon Park.
He says the proposed courts at Nottoway Park would ideally be built on the existing two tennis courts adjacent to Nottoway Park offices. This would allow six pickleball courts and four remaining tennis courts.
He compared the proposed project to the dedicated pickleball court complex that was built in Fairfax City in 2022.
In October, designated pickleball courts were opened at Green Acres Center in Fairfax City.
According to the Fairfax County Park Authority, as of June 2023, there were 76 pickleball courts in the county.
A love for the sport continues to grow, a lot. According to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, the number of pickleball players has grown from 3.5 million in 2019 to 8.9 million in 2022.
Montanino says the sport is growing rapidly in Fairfax County as well. He says it's especially popular amongst seniors.
"You go to a place where there are six or eight or 10 pickleball courts and that's a senior center. People are coming there and want to play and seniors are getting out of the house," he said.
"We do not have enough courts," he told WUSA9.
He says the proposal to swap out two of the tennis courts for pickleball courts wouldn't impact tennis players.
"There are over 600 tennis courts in Fairfax County. I don't think losing two tennis courts is going to be that great an impact," he said.
WUSA9 reached out to Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay Friday night. His office confirmed they had received the petition and said they are still reviewing it.
If you live in Fairfax County you can find a pickleball court near you click here. Make sure you turn on the “Pickleball Lined Court” filter to see which parks have dedicated pickleball courts or a tennis court dual-lined for pickleball..