A new indoor tennis facility planned at Shadle Park High School could give Spokane students and families a chance to play the sport year-round.
“This is much more than just tennis and coming out hitting a tennis ball,” United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest (USTA PNW) CEO Matthew Warren told The Spokesman-Review in an interview at the site. “It’s about health and wellness and meeting friends and being social, as well as being active in your community.”
Warren pointed to a recent Mayo Clinic study that showed playing tennis could add nearly 10 years to a player’s life, the most dramatic result of all the sports they researched.
Lewis and Clark High School tennis coach Scott Wortley agreed that the benefits – and lessons – of tennis go far beyond competition.
“It starts with love,” he told KHQ in an interview. “You have faults, you have breaks, you have rallies. You can stumble, doesn’t mean the point’s over.”
The proposal adds two indoor courts alongside the park’s existing outdoor facilities. A weatherproof “bubble” over the courts would be funded by the USTA PNW and would make courts playable throughout the year by students and community members.
“What's great about this project is that not only is that school component, where the high school team will play here and practice here, and, again, having the in-school portion with the PE teachers and all, but also this particular facility will be open to the public during the school day, so the general public can come in and play here as well," Warren told Spokane Public Radio.
This is one of more than 200 projects proposed by Together Spokane – a Spokane Public Schools bond and a Spokane Parks levy planned for the Nov. 2025 ballot.
Wortley said he’s excited at the prospect of bringing more competitive events like district and state championships to Spokane.
“Right now, there’s only three private clubs that you can get access to,” he said to the Spokesman-Review. “So if you’re playing in the wintertime, there’s three opportunities, and a lot of the time, that has a cost.”
The Pacific Northwest is the second-fastest growing region in the country when it comes to the popularity of tennis, and Warren said this project could help alleviate a current shortage of facilities.
“Currently, there are only 22 indoor courts in the [Spokane] region, serving over 44,000 active players,” he shared with KHQ. “There are an additional 47,000 people who want to play tennis but aren’t playing tennis because they don’t currently have access.”
China Kirk, chief operating officer for USTAPNW, underscored that the partnership is about reducing barriers to participation.
“We are committed to offering scholarships, adaptive programming, and opportunities for players of all skill levels to ensure everyone in Spokane can experience the many benefits of tennis,” she said. “Our vision is a welcoming space where all players can connect and thrive. This project showcases our commitment to making tennis accessible and impactful for the entire community.”
Voters will decide on the Together Spokane bond and levy on November 4, 2025. Learn more about this project at togetherspokane.org/indoor-tennis-center.