Play Academy

What Play Academy does

Play Academy is a Florida-based sports management and coaching operator founded in 2021, providing tennis and pickleball programming through on-site partnerships with master-planned residential communities. Its service portfolio spans group clinics, private lessons, a four-stage junior tennis curriculum, summer camps, and merchandise, with scheduling and resident engagement handled through the CourtReserve booking platform and a proprietary Community Partnership App. Headquartered in the Palm Beach Gardens / Wellington area, the company operates across Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona, serving communities such as Babcock Ranch, VillageWalk, Arden Community, Oakmont Estates, Vistancia, and Valley Ranch.

The business model combines a B2B2C community-partnership model with direct-to-consumer monetization: Play Academy contracts with HOAs and developers to deliver programming on community courts, then captures resident revenue through private lessons, group clinics, camps priced at $195 per camper per week, and merchandise sales. A free membership tier and free first class act as acquisition funnels into paid offerings. Marquee hires such as former ATP #8 Dick Stockton as Head Professional at Arden Community provide brand differentiation and credibility in a market where coaching talent is the primary product.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally light: standard third-party booking (CourtReserve) plus a Community Partnership App for resident engagement, with no disclosed AI/ML capability, proprietary models, or data flywheel mechanics. Geographic growth has been executed through partnership signings rather than acquisitions, and the company continues to hire actively, indicating expansion of the coaching bench to support new community launches.

Name

Play Academy

Legal name

Play Tennis Academy

Website

https://playtennisacademy.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Play Academy is a Florida-based sports management company founded in 2021 that delivers on-site tennis and pickleball coaching, clinics, camps, and merchandise to residents of master-planned communities across Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tennis and Pickleball Instruction Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Sport Skill Academies (Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, etc.) (MPAKAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Recreational & Intramural Sports Programs (MPAKACAG)

Keywords

• Tennis instruction services
• Pickleball coaching
• Junior tennis programs
• HOA tennis programs
• Sports coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Beach Gardens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Group Tennis & Pickleball Clinics: Weekly group clinics for adults and juniors at various skill levels. Classes are booked per session through the CourtReserve platform.
2. Private Lessons: One-on-one instruction for tennis and pickleball at clients' courts. Premium pricing for personalized coaching.
3. Summer Sports Camps: Full-day, full-week summer camps for juniors ages 5-12 at partner communities. Priced at $195 per camper per week with sibling discounts.
4. Free Membership with Discounted Lessons: Free membership provides access to clinics, events, and discounted lesson packages as a customer acquisition and retention tool.
5. Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling branded apparel including t-shirts, hoodies, caps, and jackets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Play Academy provides on-site tennis and pickleball instruction to individuals, families, and residential communities in Florida, Arizona, and Texas. Its services include junior tennis classes following a red/orange/green/yellow ball developmental pathway, adult tennis clinics, private tennis and pickleball lessons, summer sports camps at Vistancia (AZ) and Valley Ranch (TX), HOA/community on-site tennis court programs, and branded apparel merchandise.

Product overview

Play Academy is a tennis and pickleball instruction and management company operating as a service-based business rather than a software product platform. The core offering brings professional tennis and pickleball programming directly to community courts at HOA communities, multifamily communities, condominium associations, hotels, resorts, and private residences. The service portfolio includes Junior Tennis (with progressive stages from red ball to yellow ball), Adult Tennis clinics, Private Tennis and Pickleball Lessons, Pickleball instruction, Summer Sports Camps (Vistancia and Valley Ranch locations), HOA Tennis Court Lessons, and a complimentary membership program. The company also operates a merchandise line featuring branded apparel including t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, caps, and jackets sold through the online shop. Programming is available in Florida (Palm Beach County including Loxahatchee, Wellington, and Babcock Ranch), South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Junior Tennis Classes Group tennis instruction for children following a progressive USTA-aligned pathway from red ball through orange, green, and yellow ball stages, designed for ages 4–16+ and intended for parents seeking structured junior development.
• Adult Tennis Clinics Group tennis clinics for adult players of varying skill levels, focused on skill development and improvement in a group setting.
• Private Tennis & Pickleball Lessons One-on-one instruction in tennis and pickleball for individual players seeking personalized coaching; offered at the customer's location in served geographies.
• Pickleball Lessons Dedicated pickleball instruction for individuals and groups seeking to learn or improve in the sport of pickleball.
• Vistancia Summer Sports Camp Summer sports camp operated at the Vistancia community location in Arizona, combining tennis and other sports activities for participating children.
• Valley Ranch Summer Sports Camp Summer sports camp operated at the Valley Ranch community location in Texas, combining tennis and other sports activities for participating children.
• HOA Tennis Court Lessons (Train at Your HOA) Mobile tennis instruction program delivered on-site at HOA, condominium, and community tennis courts, contracted at the community level and taught to residents using existing facilities.
• PLAY Tennis Academy Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and accessories sold through the company's online shop, including T-shirts, hoodies, tanks, caps, and jackets.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Life Time Fitness: Life Time operates a national chain of upscale health clubs that include tennis and pickleball programming, leagues, and junior academies. It is a broad incumbent peer that competes for adult and junior recreational sports customers across PLAY's geographic markets.
• IMG Academy: IMG Academy is a large multi-sport boarding and day academy with a flagship tennis program (formerly Bollettieri). It is a broad incumbent peer that competes for the same junior tennis talent pool but operates at a much larger, residential scale.

Others

• CourtReserve: CourtReserve is the booking and member-management platform PLAY uses for scheduling clinics, lessons, and events. It is an enabling technology partner rather than a competitor, but it sits inside PLAY's operational stack.

Emerging players

• Better Pickleball: Better Pickleball is an emerging instruction and community platform focused exclusively on pickleball coaching content and lessons. It overlaps directly with PLAY's pickleball instruction offering as the sport continues its rapid participation growth.
• PB5star Pickleball: PB5star is an emerging pickleball-focused brand combining instruction, content, and equipment retail. It is comparable to PLAY on the pickleball-instruction side of the business as the segment professionalizes.

Direct peers

• PlayYourCourt: PlayYourCourt is a mobile tennis instruction company that sends certified coaches to clients' local courts for private and group lessons. It is the closest direct peer to PLAY Tennis Academy's on-site, HOA-and-residential-community coaching model.
• Rick Macci Tennis Academy: Rick Macci Tennis Academy is a long-established Florida-based tennis academy in Boca Raton known for junior development and pro coaching. It is a direct peer to PLAY in geography, junior-development focus, and credentialed tennis talent.
• Saddlebrook Tennis Academy: Saddlebrook Tennis Academy is a residential tennis training program in Florida serving juniors and adults with structured camps and clinics. It overlaps with PLAY on junior progression systems, camp-based delivery, and adult clinic offerings.
• John McEnroe Tennis Academy: John McEnroe Tennis Academy is a New York-based tennis academy offering junior pathways, clinics, and private lessons built around a marquee-pro brand. It mirrors PLAY's use of high-profile coaching credentials and structured junior-development stages.
• Chris Evert Tennis Academy: Chris Evert Tennis Academy is a Florida-based, full-service tennis academy offering junior and adult programs with high-profile coaching pedigree. Comparable to PLAY for its junior-development curriculum and Florida-resident customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play-pickleball-academy-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Play Academy