Alfredo Saucedo had never played pickleball when friends invited him to try it at Fritz Grupe Park in Stockton in 2024. But after a fellow player handed him a spare paddle, explained the rules and welcomed him to the courts, Saucedo found more than a new sport: He found a community.
Now, as the city celebrates the opening of 10 new pickleball courts at the park, Saucedo said he is glad to see Stockton invest in an activity that brings people of different ages and skill levels together.
“They welcome anybody,” Saucedo said. “Anybody can come, and they say, ‘Welcome,’ no matter the level of skill. I was a beginner and they welcomed me with open arms.”
Saucedo, who now plays at the park every Saturday, was among the players celebrating the opening of the 10 dedicated pickleball courts during an Oct. 24 ribbon-cutting ceremony. The project culminated a nearly three-year effort by the Grupe Park Pickleball Players, a local group that worked with city officials to convert seven existing tennis courts into 10 dedicated pickleball courts.
The effort began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a group of players started gathering at the park to play pickleball. With the city’s permission, players set up seven pickleball courts on the park’s existing tennis courts. As more people joined, the group eventually outgrew the space.
Gil Parker, a Stockton resident and member of the group’s organizing committee, said the players realized they needed more room as attendance continued to grow.
With seven courts, the group could accommodate 28 players at a time. But as many as 20 to 22 additional players were waiting for their turn, Parker said.
“We knew it was time to see what we could do about expansion,” Parker said. “We knew we could put more courts on this space.”
The group began working with city officials, including District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower, whose district encompasses the park, to develop a plan. Players attended City Council meetings, communicated their requests to city staff and advocated for funding to convert the existing tennis courts into dedicated pickleball courts.
Blower said the project began with a phone call from Stockton resident Linda Christopherson in December 2023. She told him about the group that played pickleball every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and invited him to visit.
The City Council allocated $302,500 for the project at its July 9, 2024, meeting. The work included converting the seven tennis courts into 10 dedicated pickleball courts, repaving the playing surfaces and installing new fencing.
Blower said he felt blessed to be “in the right place at the right time” while serving on the Council Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, where he pushed to secure funding for the project. He thanked the 2024 City Council for voting to fund what he called a “very, very worthy endeavor.”
The councilmember also credited players who turned out in large numbers at City Council meetings to show their support for the project, saying their persistence helped make the new courts a reality.
Parker said the process required the group to keep pressing for a design that would meet its needs rather than simply making minor changes to the existing tennis courts.
“It’s taken almost three years to get to this point,” Blower said shortly before cutting the red ribbon. Players then filed onto the courts for their first games.
The new courts provide a dedicated space for players from across Stockton to gather, Parker said.
“We represent every section of the city,” he said. “The players here live all over the city. We have a good diversity of people, which is a real reflection of the city because it’s a melting pot. We’re just very proud of the fact that as citizens, we established a goal and started to pursue it. We stood with it until we made it work.”
For Saucedo, the welcoming atmosphere and sense of community at Grupe Park are among the biggest draws of playing pickleball there.
He said players at Fritz Grupe Park range from children as young as 10 to adults in their 70s and 80s, making pickleball a sport that “everybody can participate in.”
Saucedo said the city’s investment demonstrates that officials recognize the value of recreational activities that bring residents together.
“The city putting together this, or making these courts, is just a great thing for the city,” he said.
Parker said the atmosphere at the courts is one of the things that makes the group special.
“There are no real arguments,” he said. “There’s no Republican versus Democrat. There’s nothing that can cause any fights.” Parker later added, “We think we’ve got something special.”
He said that when people close their eyes and listen at the Grupe Park pickleball courts, they will hear the sound of balls pinging back and forth, though it’s “mostly laughter.”
Saucedo said the welcoming atmosphere fostered by the Grupe Park Pickleball Players could serve as an example for the broader community.
“If everybody does that more often, I think we’d all be better off,” he said.