What Pickleball Kingdom does

Pickleball Kingdom is a privately held, Arizona-based franchisor and operator of indoor pickleball clubs. Founded in 2022 by Ace Rodrigues after the original Chandler, Arizona flagship opened on May 2, 2022 with 15 individually fenced climate-controlled courts, the company began franchising in May 2023 and has since awarded over 400 locations across 18+ U.S. states, positioning itself as the world's largest indoor pickleball entity. The product is standardized indoor pickleball facilities featuring court reservations, pro shops, locker rooms, mezzanine viewing areas, and event spaces, supported by proprietary iOS and Android mobile apps and an exclusive integration with PodPlay Technologies for venue automation (court reservations, member management, open play scheduling). A complementary offering, Paddle Battle — a YouTube-based competition reality series premiering January 14, 2026 — extends the brand into sports entertainment and includes a pathway for winners to compete on the APP Tour.

Revenue is generated through six primary streams: (1) franchise fees and ongoing royalties from a fast-growing pipeline of awarded locations; (2) recurring membership subscriptions across tiered plans ranging from $30/month (Evening Crew) to $249/month (Royal Family), plus Elite, ACE, Morning Crew, Team (2), and Weekday tiers; (3) usage-based court drop-in fees of $15-$20 for non-members; (4) coaching and training services including private instruction and group clinics; (5) event hosting for corporate events, birthdays, team-building, and tournaments; and (6) equipment and apparel sales through on-site pro shops. Founding member promotions at new locations (Port Richey, Hilliard) offer reduced first-month pricing and waived initiation fees to seed early utilization.

Internationally, Pickleball Kingdom launched master franchise programs in India in November 2025 (Team BAQ Wizards India) and in Europe in January 2026 (Philippe Bru / ComPacte), targeting regions including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and 9 European countries. The company also operates a small number of company-owned clubs alongside the franchise network, including the Chandler flagship, the reopened Plano (TX) location, and the acquired Pickle Jar in Hillsborough Township, NJ (acquired December 2025).

Name

Pickleball Kingdom

Legal name

Pickleball Kingdom, LLC

Website

https://pickleballkingdom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pickleball Kingdom is a franchise network and operator of indoor pickleball clubs across the United States, with international master franchise expansion into India and Europe. The company generates revenue through franchise fees, tiered memberships, drop-in play, coaching, events, and the Paddle Battle reality series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indoor Sports Facilities

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Pickleball Equipment & Accessories Retail (CRAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Indoor pickleball facilities
• Sports franchise operator
• Pickleball club memberships
• Racquet sports recreation
• Franchise development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chandler

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices80 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Monthly and annual membership plans providing unlimited reserved play, open play, and various perks including coaching discounts, ball machine rental discounts, VIP tournament invites, and free daily locker use. Plans range from basic 'Morning Crew' to premium 'Royal Family' tiers.
2. Court Drop-In Fees: Non-members pay per-visit fees for court reservations ($15 per visitor per hour) and drop-in play sessions ($15 morning/afternoon, $20 evening). This provides a transactional revenue stream from walk-in customers.
3. Coaching and Training Services: Coaching and professional instruction services offered at all club locations, including group classes and private instruction with discounts for members.
4. Event Hosting and Venue Rental: Corporate events, birthday parties, team building, private tournaments, graduation parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, church groups, and fundraising events. Venues offer indoor courts, equipment rentals, and room rentals with on-site catering.
5. Franchise Fees and Royalties: The company generates revenue through franchise fees paid by franchisees for the right to open Pickleball Kingdom branded locations, with ongoing royalty arrangements. Over 400 locations have been awarded across the U.S. as of late 2025.
6. Equipment and Apparel Sales: Premium paddle rentals ($10), balls available for purchase, and pro shop merchandise available at club locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Pickleball Kingdom operates and franchises a network of indoor pickleball clubs featuring individually fenced, climate-controlled courts with professional surfaces. The core offering is the indoor pickleball facility itself, supported by tiered memberships, court reservations, professional coaching, youth development programs, competitive leagues and tournaments, and event hosting for corporate and private gatherings. The company also franchises the Pickleball Kingdom brand domestically and internationally, and produces the Paddle Battle reality competition series as a brand entertainment property.

Product overview

Pickleball Kingdom operates as a franchise network of indoor pickleball clubs — the world's largest indoor pickleball entity. The core product is the indoor pickleball club (featuring individually fenced courts, professional surfaces, climate control, pro shops, locker rooms, and event spaces), which is franchised across the United States and internationally. The product portfolio includes the flagship club facilities, tiered membership plans (Ace, Elite, Royal Family, Morning Crew, Evening Crew), free Pickleball 101 introductory classes, coaching and training programs, youth development, competitive leagues and tournaments, event booking services for corporate and private events, and the Pickleball Kingdom Paddle Battle competition reality series as a brand entertainment property. The company also operates international franchise arms for India and Europe. Clubs use PodPlay Technologies for venue management and automation (court reservations, member check-in, open play scheduling). The company has an exclusive relationship with PodPlay and uses instant video replay technology at some clubs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Paddle Battle: Pickleball Kingdom's competition reality show featuring 16 elite players competing for professional contracts and franchise opportunities.

Products and services

• Pickleball Kingdom Indoor Pickleball Clubs Climate-controlled indoor pickleball facility with individually fenced courts, professional playing surfaces, pro shop, locker rooms with showers, mezzanine viewing area, and snack bar. Available to members and drop-in players.
• Pickleball Kingdom Paddle Battle Competition reality TV series featuring elite pickleball players competing for professional contracts and franchise opportunities. Audience voting determines franchise winners who receive a pathway to compete on the APP Tour. Distributed via YouTube and social media.
• Coaching and Training Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• PodPlay technology can cut labor costs by up to 66% for racket sports venue operators
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Philippe Bru / ComPactecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Pickleball Kingdom announced its European expansion on January 27, 2026, appointing Philippe Bru as Developer for European expansion. Philippe Bru is founder and designer of ComPacte, a next-generation sports and wellness complex. He will identify and partner with local franchise operators to build Pickleball Kingdom's European presence across target markets including UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, and Portugal.
• APP (Association of Pickleball Players) TourcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026Pickleball Kingdom and the APP Tour announced a partnership giving winners of Pickleball Kingdom's reality series 'Paddle Battle' the opportunity to compete on the APP Tour starting in March 2026. The partnership aims to expand pickleball's reach beyond traditional audiences while providing emerging talent a pathway to professional play.
• YMCA of Central KentuckyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025The YMCA of Central Kentucky has partnered with Pickleball Kingdom to provide YMCA members access to courts, open play, and leagues in Lexington. The partnership includes regular indoor play and outdoor courts starting in 2026, aiming to enhance community engagement and recreational opportunities.
• Team BAQ Wizards IndiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 November 2025Pickleball Kingdom announced its India expansion on November 12, 2025, with Team BAQ Wizards India (founded by Bhanu Gulati, Anuj Duggal, and Qudrath Ali) serving as master franchise partners. The team has over 30 years of combined experience in leadership, business, and sales, targeting regions including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
• PodPlay TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 20 December 2024Pickleball Kingdom and PodPlay entered an exclusive relationship for venue management technology. PodPlay's automation technology serves nearly one million users across racket sports venues, reportedly cutting labor costs by up to 66% for operators. PodPlay raised $8M Series A funding in October 2025 led by Frontier Growth.
• Centerline AthleticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCenterline Athletics, a San Diego-based pickleball apparel brand with 437% year-over-year sales growth, has retail partnerships with Nordstrom, Court Kings, and Pickleball Kingdom. Centerline is the official apparel partner of USA Pickleball, APP, PPA, MLP, and DUPR.
• Beach City MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with Beach City Media on the production and distribution of the 'Paddle Battle' reality series. Beach City Media contributes to content production alongside Pickleball Kingdom Productions.
• Diadem SportsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiadem Sports is listed as a collaboration partner for Paddle Battle, providing equipment and/or sponsorship support for the competition reality series.
• F3 EnergyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerF3 Energy is listed as a collaboration partner for Paddle Battle, providing energy drink sponsorship for the competition reality series.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves24 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Puttshack: Tech-enabled indoor entertainment venue (mini golf + dining) operating multiple U.S. and U.K. locations with a similar 'destination, not restaurant' entertainment positioning. Competes for the same group-event and date-night consumer occasions.
• Life Time Group Holdings: Publicly-traded (NYSE: LTH) premium fitness chain that has rapidly expanded indoor pickleball courts across its 170+ athletic country club locations. Represents the largest well-capitalized incumbent moving into the indoor pickleball category and competing for the same consumer wallet share.
• Topgolf Callaway Brands: Sports entertainment franchise operator (Topgolf venues) and equipment parent (Callaway, TravisMathew). While a golf-centric player, it competes for sports-entertainment venue mindshare and discretionary consumer spend, and represents the scaled franchise entertainment venue model Pickleball Kingdom aspires to replicate.

Direct peers

• Dreamland: Indoor pickleball + eatertainment venue concept with multiple U.S. locations. Direct competitor combining indoor pickleball courts with food/beverage service, overlapping with PK's event-hosting and corporate-outing positioning.
• Chicken N Pickle: Indoor pickleball clubs combined with full-service restaurants and bars. Operates 10+ locations across the U.S. with a similar indoor pickleball + eatertainment positioning to Pickleball Kingdom, making it the closest format competitor in the indoor pickleball club category.
• Ace Pickleball Club: National indoor pickleball club chain with multiple locations across the U.S. Competitor in the same dedicated indoor pickleball club category, pursuing similar membership and open-play business models.
• The Pickle Pad: Multi-location indoor pickleball club operator. Direct competitor in the dedicated indoor pickleball venue category with similar court-fee and membership revenue models.
• Swing: Indoor racquet sport (padel/pickleball) club operator expanding across U.S. markets. Comparable indoor racquet-sport club operator with overlapping customer base and programming.

Emerging players

• PingPod: Indoor table tennis club operator from which PodPlay Technologies (Pickleball Kingdom's exclusive venue-management partner) was spun out. Comparable indoor racquet-sport club operator with technology-driven unit economics and an existing relationship with the same automation stack.

Others

• Massage Envy: Large U.S. franchised service brand with hundreds of locations. Not a direct competitor but the canonical 'subscription + franchise' recurring-revenue service model that Pickleball Kingdom's tiered membership structure (ACE/ELITE/Royal Family) closely resembles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PickleballKingdomPaddleBattle
• Facebookfacebook.com/pickleballkingdom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pickleballkingdom
• Instagraminstagram.com/pickleballkingdom
• Xx.com/PBKingdomMFalls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pickleball Kingdom