Overview
The tennis courts at Fort Greene Park are located here. We have 6 beautiful courts that we love, however, keep in mind that there is overwhelming demand and it can be very difficult to get court time at Fort Greene. To help New Yorkers find more great places to play tennis in NYC, we’ve got a handy map that you can check out here!
But if Fort Greene is the best spot for you, then there are two things you should know about in advance:
The NYC Parks tennis permit
The signup sheet
Tennis permits and the signup sheet are separate issues. Please read below to understand each one.
Permits
In order to play tennis at any public park in NYC (including Fort Greene) in the Spring and Summer, players need a tennis permit from the NYC Parks Department. An NYC Parks attendant is present at the Fort Greene courts throughout the week and checks for permits when players sign up for a court (more on signing up in the following section) and before allowing players to go on court. Note that all players need their own permit (i.e. you cannot use one permit for more than one person).
There are 2 types of permits that you can choose from:
A season pass lets you play as many times as you want on any public courts in NYC. Click here to purchase a season pass online! (This is a better option if you plan on playing many times in a single year.)
A day pass that that lets you play one time (either 1 hour of singles or 2 hours of doubles) on any public court in NYC. Click here to purchase a day pass! (This is a better option if you only plan on playing once or a few times in a year.)
Once you have your permit, bring it with you to any public courts and present it to the NYC Parks attendant so that you will be allowed onto the court. Please be aware that it can take several weeks to receive your season pass in the mail. While you are waiting for your permit to arrive, you may present proof of purchase of a season pass (a receipt or email confirming your purchase) to the Parks attendant at Fort Greene.
Signup Sheet
The signup sheet is separate from the NYC Parks permit but related. At Fort Greene, the courts are open from dawn to dusk (weather permitting) and we use a signup sheet system. The signup sheet is a schedule that’s posted every morning by 7:30am (or by 8am in the late fall/winter months) that lets anyone sign up to reserve one hour of singles or two hours of doubles for the same day.
Here are the rules concerning the signup sheet:
You must come in person to sign up for a court.
You may only sign up for your group.
You cannot sign up for more than one session or sign up for a separate group.
Only sign up for a court if you already have a partner lined up.
If there are other players waiting for a court, you must leave after the time to which you are entitled (again, either one hour of singles or two hours of doubles).
When signing up for a court, write each player’s name - not just your own.
DO NOT SIGN UP FOR MULTIPLE COURTS FOR ANY REASON.
DO NOT SIGN UP FOR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY REASON.
The courts are still open before 8am and after 8pm, however, they are simply first-come-first-serve during these hours since they are not covered by the signup sheet. During these hours, please keep the following in mind:
Being on court before 8am does not count as a place in line for the signup sheet. If you want to sign up for a court on the signup sheet, you need to physically be in line.
When playing before 8am, if other players are waiting for a court, please be courteous and limit your playing time to one hour.