Tennis Industry magazine

 

Business Opportunities: The Pickleball Advantage

Follow trends and implement a new sport at your facility to become a better — and more profitable — manager.

As a member of the racquet sports industry, chances are you know about pickleball and its growing popularity. The question many people have been asking is whether — and why — they should offer pickleball at their facilities.

As the organizers of the annual Minto US Open Pickleball Championships, we can tell you that the people who are implementing pickleball — and in turn, benefitting from it — are the ones who understand these trends:

A key to any business is listening to what people want and then delivering it. If you say, “We’re not adding anything new,” are you really doing your job?

The smartest communities, like Naples, Fla., in Collier County, are adding pickleball and realizing the benefits. It’s the home of the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships, and the park district hosts lessons, league play and camps all year long, attracting players from all over the country.

Housing developers, including Minto, understand that pickleball courts are a sales advantage. Latitude Margaritaville in Daytona Beach is doing something similar and adding a pickleball complex in a pursuit of the active lifestyle market.

It’s easy to say you’re a purist and are only going to stick with so-called traditional sports, but the participation numbers don’t lie, and neither do the sales. The sports industry is evolving — are you going to serve your public?

Terri Graham and Chris Evon are the founders of the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships, held each April in Naples, Fla. They previously spent a combined 38 years at Wilson Sporting Goods. We welcome your opinions. Please email comments to info@tennisindustrymag.com.

 

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