The 2024 Pickleball Industry’s Most Exciting Events…

This is part of a series of 2024 news recaps in the ever-expanding world of Pickleball. Here, we’re focusing on the biggest moves in the pickleball industry of the year. The major sectors of the Pickleball industry include Paddle Manufacturers, Pickleball Facility Operators, Pickleball Software vendors, and of course the pickleball professional tours.

We include a few significant franchisor announcements, but the most significant story of the year was the enormous expansion of indoor facilities being constructed across the nation. Prominent franchisors including Ace Pickleball Club, Dill Dinkers, The Picklr, and Pickleball Kingdom have opened hundreds of locations across the country. In the meantime, well-known entertainment chains like Crush Yard and Chicken & Pickle keep growing their market share.

In mid January 2024, 35-Capital (co-owner of the Chicago Slice) has acquired both ProXR and Paddletek and is creating a new brand called United Pickleball properties (UPP). This acquisition also included is Boundless Pickleball, which has NCAA licensed pickleball products. Paddletek’s sponsored players are headlined by the #1 women’s player in the world Anna Leigh Waters, while ProXR counts amongst its player roster leading content creator Zane Navratil.

In early February 2024, the Picklr announces Drew Brees has joined as a national brand ambassador, investor, and franchise owner. Brees, who’s already a part owner of the LA Mad Drops, will also be a part owner of Picklr franchises in the mid-west. The Picklr has no shortage of investors at this point and adding another famous name to its roster does nothing but enhance the brand.

In April 2024, the UPA announced that DUPR will be the official rating system of MLP, PPA Tour, Pickleball.com, Pickleball Tournaments & Pickleball Brackets. This is a huge development for the reliability of DUPR, which has been plagued for the better part of the last two years with lack of data thanks to a disconnect between PB and DUPR’s algorithms. Furthermore, this is a blow to DUPR’s competitors in the ratings business, as it will have a huge lead in ingested matches going forward.

In early April 2024, the APP breaks ground officially on its new headquarters “The Fort” in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This will not only be the APP tour’s new headquarters, but it will become the first Pickleball Academy in the sport’s history.

In Mid April 2024, Connor Pardoe, owner of MLP’s Utah Black Diamonds, announces Utah Black Diamonds Pickleball Center in South Jordan, just south of Salt Lake City, Utah, a $25 million facility done in partnership with the Picklr, Pickleball Central, and GCTM Investments . The facility will feature 36 courts (30 indoor), a 1,500 seat stadium court, two 500-seat grandstand courts, plus other amenities.

In mid July 2024, MLP and DUPR Partner to Launch MLP’s Amateur Events Under the Minor League Pickleball Brand and Format. MLP, probably realizing that they need to have amateurs playing alongside the pros at their events in order to make money, are pushing to have Minor League Pickleball events alongside their main MLP events. MiLP winners will earn a Dream Ticket and automatically qualify for the 2024 Minor League Pickleball National Championship.

In mid July 2024, the PPA Pickleball video game, teased in Nov 2023, is officially released. Disclosure: I demoed the game at the time at the request of the manufacturer but opted not to write a review. The graphics and movements in the game were lacking as compared to the video game effects expected by consumers who are used to those seen in games like Fortnight and Call of Duty, but the two-player action did make it fun to play with my son.

In October 2024, former Pickleball Central owner/CEO David Johnson announces the launch of the International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF). Johnson, who already has a pickleball business consulting business and a periodical launched focusing on the industry of the sport, will now help bring some organizational order to the growing world of facilities owners.

In early November 2024, PPA’s Connor Pardoe announces the new Pickleball TV App, and a new plan for a subscription based model for Pickleball TV content. The announcement may be premature though, for weeks later the app is still not available on the Apple Store, and pickleballtv.com remains free. However, it does seem like just a matter of time before live viewing online is going to a pay structure. This announcement inevitably causes some grumbling online, as customers who have been watching pro pickleball on pickleballtv.com or on YouTube for free will now face a subscription model, but the move seems inevitable as more revenues are needed to support the tour’s growing finances.

In late November 2024, The APP announces pricing and curriculum information for the APP Academy hosted at the Fort. They also announce details for the APP Touring Pro program, available online. The APP’s founder Ken Herrmann comes from a tennis industry background and the creation of a junior academy in the same design as well-known tennis academies like the Bollettieri Academy of yesteryear, the Evert academy, or even the IMG academy in Florida will help grow junior pickleball players going forward.

In late December, 2024, Dreamland’s owners announce that the venue will close as of 12/31/24. Dreamland played a huge role in the birth of professional pickleball, hosting the first two MLP events and serving as a launching pad for the Austin pro pickleball scene, providing a playing location and housing for a slew of up and coming pros looking to dedicate their time 100% to the sport.

Those were the biggest moves in the pickleball industry in 2024. Stay tuned for more as we wrap up the 2024 season.