Corvallis Sports Park’s New Future Revealed: RECS To Open Indoor Pickleball Club In South Corvallis
It's now a court of public opinion...
After weeks of speculation surrounding the future of Corvallis Sports Park, the organization taking over the facility has officially been announced.
Portland-area indoor pickleball company RECS says it will open a new indoor pickleball club inside the longtime South Corvallis sports complex in October 2026.
The announcement confirms what many had suspected for months: Corvallis Sports Park is transitioning away from its longtime identity as an indoor soccer and recreation hub and into a dedicated pickleball facility.
According to the company, the new Corvallis location will feature seven dedicated indoor pickleball courts inside the existing sports park property.
RECS is short for “Recreate Exercise Compete Socialize” and currently operates clubs in Clackamas and Tualatin, and says the Corvallis expansion is part of a larger Pacific Northwest growth plan that will double the company’s footprint to four clubs by the end of 2026.
“Our goal from the beginning was to prove the concept, then open more clubs,” said RECS Founder and CEO Kevin Richards in a press release announcing the expansion.
“Our north star remains unchanged, we’re here to encourage well-being and connection through purposeful recreation and friendly competition.”
Corvallis Sports Park Ownership Group Chose RECS
One of the more notable details in the announcement is that RECS did not purchase the property outright, at least according to the wording of the release.
Instead, the company states that the “ownership group” behind Corvallis Sports Park selected RECS as its operating partner.
That ownership group includes longtime General Manager Blake Leamy.
“The ownership group of Corvallis Sports Park, which includes General Manager Blake Leamy, selected RECS as its partner because of the organization’s shared commitment to serving as a ‘third place’ for people to recreate, exercise, compete, and socialize,” the release states.
The phrase “third place” refers to spaces outside of home and work where people gather socially (coffee shops, community centers, gyms, pubs, and recreational facilities).
While they likely hope that language resonates with longtime Corvallis Sports Park users, many of whom viewed the facility as much more than just soccer fields, we all know the backlash is coming over the loss of those fields and the fight the soccer community will put up. It’s pickleball vs soccer. New vs old. And will played on a court of public opinion.
For decades, the sports park functioned as a social and recreational anchor for South Corvallis, hosting youth soccer leagues, indoor tournaments, parties, bar gatherings, and community events.
A petition was even started to save the old soccer fields that gathered over 1400 signatures: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-corvallis-sports-park
A Shift For South Corvallis Recreation
The announcement effectively confirms the biggest recreational shift the property has seen since opening in the late 1990s. In recent months, rumors of the transition sparked intense discussion online, including petitions and social media debates from residents worried about losing one of Benton County’s only indoor soccer facilities.
At the same time, pickleball has exploded nationwide.
The sport has become one of the fastest-growing recreational activities in America, with indoor pickleball facilities rapidly opening across the country as investors and operators rush to meet demand.
“We’ve been focused on the Willamette Valley for quite some time,” Richards said in the release.
“We’re thrilled to be joining the Corvallis community and to honor the sporting legacy of Corvallis Sports Park.”
Jobs And Memberships Planned
RECS says the new Corvallis club will create local jobs and offer membership options, including “Founding Memberships” ahead of opening. The company says members will also receive access benefits across RECS locations throughout the region.
The Corvallis location is currently scheduled to open in October 2026. For many longtime residents, the transition will likely feel bittersweet (to put it nicely).
A facility that once symbolized Corvallis’ youth sports culture is entering an entirely new era… pickleball. Will residents embrace the change or mourn the loss of the old sports park? It might be both. It’s now a court of public opinion...
Hope you’re ready RECS.
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