The recent explosion in pickleball’s popularity belies the game’s surprisingly long history, dating back some 59 years to when three fathers on Bainbridge Island, just a short ferry ride from Seattle, played their children’s summer games. It was born when I invented this activity to relieve boredom.
And interest in the game smoldered on the simmer for decades before going into full-fledged hell, topping the annual list of America’s fastest-growing sports for the past three years. .
According to this year’s report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, the sport will grow by 51.8% from 2022 to 2023, and the number of players has jumped an incredible 223.5% since 2021. Last year alone, 10 million new players jumped onto the court. A combination of tennis and table tennis, it is played on a court about half the size of a tennis court and a slightly lower net, using a smooth, hard paddle and a plastic ball with holes.
Pickleball’s new hordes of fans are also driving the need for more playing surfaces, with about 50,000 known courts at the end of 2023, according to USA Pickleball, but industry officials say there are currently says its inventory is at least 25,000 coats short of demand.
That’s where Ogden resident Jorge Barragan comes in.
A long wait led to a great idea.
Barragan discovered the game in 2015 and quickly became a big fan and regular player. At the time, he was working in the software industry and found time to play on weekends, evenings, and even during his lunch breaks at work. He said trying to sneak in a game during work hours has proven to be an increasingly difficult task as wait times to get on the court have become longer and longer.
“One winter day, we were going to a lunch game at the Farmington Recreation Center,” Barragan recalled. “When I got there, there were about 50 people waiting to get on the court. I thought I would never do it for anything else.”
The seeds planted by the frustration of a crowded courtroom would blossom into a business idea for Barragan, a first-generation Mexican-American and son of immigrants who embraced his entrepreneurial spirit and opened a tortilla factory. world of work.
Barragan partnered with longtime friend and pickleball enthusiast Austin Wood to start The Picklr, a business dedicated to providing high-quality indoor pickleball facilities to players in Utah and across the country. I raised it.
Picklr’s initial vision was to build courthouses from scratch, like the multi-court facility in Kaysville, or to retrofit existing buildings that met the right combination of square footage and layout to efficiently accommodate 20 courthouses. , focused on meeting unmet court needs. – 44′ x 44′ playing surface.
think outside the box
Barragan and Wood said that thanks to the demise of some big-box retailers, or once big-box stores, in recent years, thousands of commercial spaces across the country now have a specific type of commercial space that typically fits Picklr’s needs. I discovered that it can be found in the community.
“In every neighborhood you can think of, there are large properties that sit vacant for years,” Barragan said. “The former Bed, Bath and Beyond store, the old Staples, the old Sears outlet…those are perfect for pickleball.”
While not all vacant storefront floor plans are up to the standards for reuse as pickleball facilities, many are, and Barragan said the time and cost savings in renovating them compared to new construction are significant. He said it was significant.
“It’s a huge time saver compared to building from scratch, which can take two years,” Barragan says. “Not only is construction time faster, but it’s much cheaper to just lease a building, saving you big additional costs on HVAC, plumbing, and other necessities. makes sense.”
Barragan said that in addition to the cost and efficiency benefits, local governments are keen to partner with companies interested in investing in these open spaces.
“Every city we worked with is excited to do what they can to help revitalize these facilities,” Barragan said. “Picklr’s renovation will bring foot traffic back to these old big-box stores and give them a new lease of life.”
Discovering the magic of renovation fueled Picklr’s growth, and Barragan said he and his partners were in the process of developing seven Picklr stores, primarily one in Utah and one in Colorado. He said he realized he may need to reinvent his business to really accelerate its expansion. model.
Turning to a franchise model proved to be Picklr’s best step forward in achieving its founders’ goal of building a national presence.
Expand your business
“Going the franchise route was the biggest decision we made,” Barragan said. “Opening seven owner-operated stores taught us a lesson in understanding the challenges of scaling a business. From an operational perspective, from a brand perspective, from a capital perspective. It made sense. And I thought about how I could recreate myself and Austin and our passion for building this business and being a part of the community and growing pickleball.”
However, the shift to a franchise approach has not freed up Picklr’s capital needs, with the company having raised approximately $16 million in outside funding to date in friends and family rounds following Series A and Series B efforts. successful.
This support has enabled Picklr to hire brand experts, adding over 70 staff to support its growing franchise operations. Franchise operations, like the sport itself, have been in turbo mode for the past year and a half. 350 facilities are planned.
for the love of sports
Indiana resident and pickleballer Aaron Scholl is a veteran in the franchise business, having worked as a chief information officer for a national brand before joining the Picklr network as a regional developer. Scholl and a small group of investors, all Purdue graduates including former NFL superstar Drew Brees, have acquired Picklr development rights in three Midwestern states: Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Owned.
Scholl said he started playing pickleball with his family during the pandemic and fell in love with the sport. When the search for franchise opportunities began, Scholl said he and his partners were considering several opportunities related to the development of pickleball courts, but Picklr stood out among its competitors. Ta.
“Our interest was driven by the sport itself and the lack of courts across the country to play on, both domestically and internationally,” Scholl said. “Jorge and Austin got things going early and actually had a concept for a pickleball-specific facility before anyone really thought about it, and their latest brand look sets Picklr apart. They focus on creating a professional atmosphere and a professional experience. The acoustic baffles, the lighting structures, the Staples Center-style visuals. It’s a different, elevated feeling.”
Scholl is also impressed with the networking connections Picklr has established with national pickleball groups, and said the relationships are poised to bring professional events to the facility. Scholl and his partners plan to open 30 new Picklr locations by the end of this month and are scouting dozens of cities across the tri-state territory for further expansion. These plans include building Indianapolis from the ground up with professional-level “show” courts and space for fans to watch top-level players play.
He also sees significant upside potential for pickleball’s growth through sanctions at the high school and college levels. Scholl noted that his group’s premier facility in Indianapolis shares a home with the NCAA’s headquarters, potentially increasing the sport’s visibility for the nation’s largest college sports governing body. .
“Thirty million people play this sport,” Scholl said. “It goes way beyond fad status, with high school state championships and colleges offering pickleball scholarships and the long-term goal of taking pickleball to the Olympics. We love the whole junior side of the sport, and the pipeline to professional play is only going to grow.”
This pipeline idea is built into Picklr’s approach and is embedded in the company’s motto: “Where Pros Are Made.” Those who want to try out the game at the Picklr facility can get a 30-day pass for $30. Full membership for adults, available for $109 per month, provides members with unlimited court access at all Picklr facilities, unlimited league and competitive play, access to 4 pickleball clinics per month, and 4 passes for guests. will be provided.
During the Zoom interview, Barragan noted how beaming his face was throughout the conversation about his company and the game that inspired it.
“This is what my face looks like when I play,” Barragan said. “There’s always a smile on my face. I love this game for the same reason as everyone who plays it: It’s fun.”
