Where to Play
In Phoenix, AZ
Looking for a place to play badminton here in Phoenix or the surrounding Valley? Yea, it’s tough. Badminton hasn’t quite caught on here in Arizona as it has in places like Southern and Northern California. Which, when you think about it, is pretty strange given our climate and reliance on indoor activities for most of the year.
Anyway, here are some facilities where folks can play badminton:
4 Courts
BASIS Peoria
Address: 9902 W Yearling Rd, Peoria, AZ 85383
Website: Feather Academy
Courts: 4
Reservation System: Reserve and pay in advance
Feather Academy utilizes the gymnasium of BASIS Peoria charter school to offer four courts on Sundays. This is the only badminton-focused facility in the West Valley that is not a community center. You can reserve courts in advance in one-hour blocks. The level of play here is beginner-to-intermediate and the facility is clean, well lit, and safe.
4 Courts
Arizona Badminton Center
Address: 2150 W Broadway, Suite 107, Mesa, AZ 85202
Website: Arizona Badminton Center
Courts: 4
Reservation System: First-come-first-served, rotate out after one match to 21
The Arizona Badminton Center is one of the original badminton clubs in Arizona. Playing out of high school gyms for years, they opened a dedicated badminton facility in 2012. They are home to four courts, a pro shop, and multiple training programs for adults and youth. They offer both club memberships and drop-in fees to play.
2 Courts
Foothills Recreation Center
Address: 5600 W Union Hills Dr, Glendale, AZ 85308
Website: Foothills Recreation Center
Courts: 2
Reservation System: First-come-first-served
The Foothills Recreation center is located in North Glendale and offers two courts on Friday’s between 5pm and 7pm. Please call ahead for changes in hours. A day pass is $6 for Glendale residents and $8 for non-residents.
6? Courts
Independence High School
Address: 6602 N 75th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85303
Membership: Form
Courts: 8
Reservation System: Open
The Arizona Badminton Center operates a satellite gym based in Independence High School that offers badminton on Tuesday nights. Details are not published anywhere.
Some thoughts
We made our first trip to Independence in April 2023 and TBH, it was a terrible experience. There was no structured rotation and, as expected, plenty of people never rotated off. The people who were managing it were rather rude and appeared to selectively pick people to question and, unfortunately, harass. We as a company cannot recommend playing here but will keep it listed in full transparency.
4 Courts
Deer Valley Community Center
Address: 2001 W Wahalla Ln., Phoenix, AZ 85027
Courts: 4
Reservation System: None. Scheduled rotation
The Deer Valley Community center offers four courts for open play a few nights a week for the low entry fee of $3. There is a set rotation where you are given 20min on a court then, if there are others waiting, you must rotate off. This happens all at once on a set schedule. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the best scheme as it is often cheated by pushy people (there’s no enforcement) and makes it hard for begineers to feel welcome and have opportunities to play.
6+ Courts
ASU Tempe
Address: 400 E Apache Blvd, Tempe, AZ 85281
Courts: 6+ depending on gym and time. Schedule
Reservation System: None. Rotation.
The ASU Tempe Fitness Center offers badminton almost every day across different gyms and times. Please check the gym schedule for availability. You must have some kind of connection with the University to gain access. This means being either a faculty/staff member, a student, an alumn, or be “sponsored” by a current Sun Devil Fitness member. Please see the memberships page for rates and conditions.