The Pickleball Playbook: Starting a Smash-Hit Indoor Facility

Pickleball has rapidly gained popularity and launched into the zeitgeist as one of the most exciting and accessible sports – attracting all ages and skill levels. Learning how to start an indoor pickleball facility will allow you to better serve your community while implementing a profitable, self-made enterprise. This comprehensive playbook will guide you through the essential steps to launching a successful indoor pickleball complex.

Step 1: Embody Goal Oriented Behaviours

The first step to creating the indoor pickleball facility of your dreams is to determine your goals and align your behaviour. Importantly, you must consider what your main goal is and some general questions:

• Is your goal to serve your small community? Or are you catering to tourists?
• How many courts would you like to have?
• Are you ensuring accessibility and inclusivity?
• Do you want spectator seating for events and/or tournaments?

To facilitate this process, we recommend completing an in-depth competitor analysis to understand what your competition is doing right, what they are doing wrong, and how you will stand out. Don’t be afraid to think creatively and make a list of non-negotiables for your new indoor pickleball facility.

Step 2: Location, Location, Location

Once you know your goals inside and out, you can begin the intentional journey towards your new facility. Selecting the perfect location is crucial for running a successful recreation business. You should look for areas with a high demand for recreational activity while considering convenience:

• is your location within walking distance of major hubs?
• Is it visible from the main road?
• Do you have enough room for parking or future expansions?

This list is by no means comprehensive but is designed to help you understand what types of questions you should consider when choosing your facility location.

Step 3: Crafting the Perfect Complex

Investing in high-quality courts for your complex is paramount. With our fabric structures as all-weather protection, the interior will remain bright, airy, and free of posts or pillars. Due to the durability of our facilities, you’ll require minimal maintenance – so you can focus on your business, not repairs.

Once you’ve decided on how many courts you’d like, it’s essential to workshop your free-span layout to ensure your space is being used as efficiently as possible. Consider the layouts of competitors, what have they done that you like? What would you change? Are you planning to add seating or change rooms?

We recommend choosing the layout that best serves your customers’ needs.

Step 4: Equipment Excellence

When considering what equipment is needed and how much you’re willing to spend, it’s important to understand what brings you the highest return on investment (ROI). Our fabric buildings will give you a head start, as they are known for putting money back in your pocket. With your savings, we recommend equipping your facility with high-quality gear; investing in quality paddles, nets, balls, and other essential accessories provides your customers with a luxurious experience and will drive FOMO among non-customers.

Step 5: Market Effectively

Developing a robust marketing plan for promoting your pickleball facility is important for brand visibility and business success. We recommend leveraging free social platforms to help spread word of mouth (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn). Posting consistently and highlighting your unique features (and benefits of pickleball) will help your company grow.

If you’re in a local community, try hosting an open house or local sports tournament to promote word of mouth and community engagement!

Of course, you can also invest in traditional media campaigns, but as an experienced business, we suggest leveraging all the free promotion you can – especially when you’re just starting out.

Step 6: Offer Engaging Programs

Once you’re indoor pickleball facility is up and running, you should consider offering a variety of programs to help keep community engagement high. Creating a diverse range of activities encourages player engagement and fosters a vibrant pickleball community. Investing your time into creating beginner lessons, hosting league games and tournaments, as well as local social events will help solidify your business.

Conclusion

Starting an indoor pickleball facility requires careful planning, dedication, and a commitment to providing an all-encompassing, exceptional experience for players. With the right strategy and a focus on creating an inviting and functional environment, your pickleball facility can quickly become a smash-hit destination for players of all levels.

At Calhoun, we are dedicated to helping you create the perfect pickleball facility that exceeds expectations and leaves a lasting impression on players. Contact us today to learn more about our fabric structures and how they can elevate your pickleball facility to new heights.

To learn more about our pickleball options, click here.