Blountville Athletic Park opens with four new pickleball courts for county players

Four brand-new pickleball courts are now open at Blountville Athletic Park, giving Sullivan County players an immediate place to play as phase one of the 28-acre project officially opened Saturday on the former Blountville Middle School property. The first stage also includes two baseball fields, making the site the county’s newest multiuse recreation stop and a major shift in the local playing map.

The opening came after nearly four years of development, and county leaders treated it like more than a ribbon cutting. Sullivan County’s grand-opening schedule set the ceremony for 12:30 p.m. and packed the day with youth baseball and softball from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., pickleball tournaments from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., a morning pickleball court session from 9 a.m. to noon, a Touch-A-Truck event, food trucks and an outdoor showing of The Bad News Bears. For players, the key detail was simple: four purpose-built courts are in service now, alongside the new baseball fields.

County Mayor Richard Venable said the park is meant to draw more than Blountville itself, naming Kingsport, Bluff City and Piney Flats as communities the county hopes will use the fields. That regional push matters in a sport that keeps expanding fast. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association said 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, a number that explains why new public courts have become one of the most visible recreation investments in the country.

The business side of the project reflects that scale. Earlier planning for what county leaders called The Blountville Campus included a phase-one contract totaling $4.98 million, with the pickleball-court alternate bid listed at $141,000. Venable also said the former school building sold for $637,500, helping clear the way for a redevelopment that transformed underused land into active play space.

What comes next is still broader than pickleball. Proposed phase-two plans include a farmers market, playgrounds, a basketball court and walking trails, while Zane Vanover said incoming county leadership will continue reviewing the buildout. Local coaches Amanda Larkey and Cory Moss said the facility should give young athletes more experience on different playing surfaces and bring more activity into the area. For now, the biggest upgrade is already visible: four new courts, open and ready, at a park built to become a long-term county sports hub.