Pickleball courts boom to keep pace with rapid expansion | Wilnesh News

America’s fastest-growing sport is also rapidly expanding its footprint.

The number of outdoor park pickleball courts in major cities has surged 650% in the past seven years, according to a new report trust for public landsa nonprofit dedicated to connecting people to the outdoors.

In 2017, fewer than half of America’s largest cities offered formal pickleball courts. Today, parks and recreation departments have embraced the sport, installing more than 3,000 courts in the nation’s 100 most populous cities.

It’s not just at your local park where you’ll hear the infamous pickle ball “pockmark” sound. Courses have become big business as concessions, country clubs and health clubs build and renovate spaces.

“Among the major park trends, nothing compares to this kind of growth,” said Will Klein, associate director for parks research at the Trust for Public Land. “When you look at playgrounds, courts, basketball courts, you know, you’re seeing very modest growth. So this is extraordinary growth.”

Louisville, Kentucky; Madison, Wisconsin; and Honolulu reported the highest number of courts per capita.

Klein said pickleball helps draw people of all ages and backgrounds to the park.

One community benefits from Pickleball’s rapid growth: city ​​pickles In New York City.

Founded in 2022 by longtime friends and tennis players Erica Desai and Mary Cannon, City Pickle has 14 courts at Wollman Rink in Central Park. With court appearances costing just $5 an hour during off-peak hours (and up to $120 during peak hours), the organization now hosts hundreds of events a year and has 74,000 people booking court appearances through its app.

City Pickle has since expanded into other areas Place Located in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island City.

“We found that New York City parks really understood the popularity of pickleball and the need for more courts,” Cannon said.

However, as new competition emerges, the co-founders are paying close attention.

“At some point, the suburban market is going to become oversaturated,” Desai said. “We’re looking at that. That’s a concern for us and that’s why we’re very focused on the locations and geographies that we’re looking at.”

Pickleball Kingdom, the world’s largest indoor pickleball facility, announced Tuesday Over 25 new locations Scattered across the country.

Pickleball Kingdom first opened in 2022 and has now grown to more than 100 clubs through franchising.

“Pickleball is growing rapidly in the United States. We are excited to meet the growing demand and bring Pickleball Kingdom’s premier indoor pickleball game to the masses,” said Ace Rodrigues, founder and CEO of Pickleball Kingdom.

Pickleball courts are also popping up in gyms across the country.

life, A “sports country club” that currently has nearly 700 pickleball courts in 170 locations across the United States.

on Monday, company announced The company is converting the former Bed Bath & Beyond site in Annapolis, Maryland, into a lifetime facility that will include 11 indoor pickleball courts.

The company said the number of pickleball players in its clubs increased 51% last year and it expects to have nearly 1,000 courts in the near future.

Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi said pickleball has been the company’s main growth driver recently. He estimates Life Time has invested about $60 million to add new outdoor courts and convert traditional club basketball courts into pickleball courts.

“If you look at our growth chart, it’s like COVID-19 never happened,” he said, referring to a drop in gym attendance during the pandemic.

At Invited Clubs, the largest owner and operator of private golf clubs, CEO David Pillsbury had barely heard of pickleball three years ago.

Today, the company owns nearly 500 courses, hosts championships and plans to continue investing in the sport.

“Pickleball is a bustling micro-community,” Pillsbury said. “We’re in the business of curating and promoting micro-communities because they’re sticky and create members that we’re able to retain. They stay in the club, they’re very active, and they spend money.”

Pillsbury said invited clubs have invested $10 million to $12 million in the sport over the past three years.