Florida Pickleball Is Growing With The Announcement of 20 New Indoor Pickleball Facilities

Pickleball really is the fastest growing sport out there, and the stigma of an 'old persons game' is gone. Pickleball is for everyone. Especially here in Southwest Florida. According to Just Paddles "Naples is specifically well known as one of the most popular places to pickle, and one of the most court-dense cities per capita to play America's fastest-growing sport." So, do we need more Florida Pickleball courts? That answer is "yes", and it's happening in a big way with Pickleball Kingdom Clubs.

Pickleball Kingdom, the nation's premier brand of indoor pickleball facilities, has announced the opening of 20 new facilities in Florida. "Everybody loves Florida!" declared Ace Rodrigues, Founder and CEO of Pickleball Kingdom.

Pickleball Kingdom's expansion into Florida will undoubtedly help satisfy the demand for quality indoor pickleball facilities in the Sunshine State.  We reached out to Ace Rodrigues for specifics on where the new locations would be and his answer was noncommittal. "We have not locked those down yet.  Having said that, we will be in the major local markets."

Pickleball Kingdom's new clubs in Florida will feature state-of-the-art courts, professional coaching, and a range of membership options to cater to players of varying commitment levels.

Collier Parks n' Rec has done an amazing job of building courts. There are 63 courts just in East Naples Community Park, home to the US Open Pickleball Championships. Many of their other parks have courts as well. But where can you escape the Florida heat (or cold like it's been this winter) and play some Pickleball indoors? Here's what I found.

The YMCA in Naples has 4 indoor courts. You'll need a reservation, and $5. Elsewhere in Southwest Florida, the Bonita Springs Rec Center has 2 indoor courts. Also, the Estero Rec Center, my fave, has 9 indoor courts. All of those are essentially repurposed basketball courts, so the type of facilities planned by Pickleball Kingdom will be unique.

At this point, we're not sure exactly where the facilities will be built. If you want to get in on the franchising, that link is here. or contact me and I'll put you in touch with the CEO.

The 2023 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships came to East Naples Community Park last weekend in Naples, Florida and did not disappoint. Much of the hype was the play of Fort Myers resident Parris Todd. She won three gold medals after winning the triple crown which consists of gold in singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. So who is Parris Todd?

Parris developed her tennis skills at a young age where at age eight, her father took her to the renowned Bollettieri Tennis Academy. If that name sounds familiar - Serena Williams and Venus Williams worked with Bollettieri and trained at the academy. According to her bio "As the pandemic slowed down the globe, Pickleball emerged and summoned her to the courts. It wasn't long before her tennis talents crossed over and her peers confirmed the calling. Since then, Parris has enjoyed herself more than ever on the courts, and voilà... the rest is history."

Elsewhere in the Pickleball Championships, the Naples News reported "On the men’s side, the Florida tandem of Kyle Yates and Andrei Dăescu were dominant in doubles."

The biggest takeaway for me, is the amazing facility at the East Naples Community Park. If you've never been, it's certainly one to check out. Collier County Parks and Rec have equipped 6 Pickleball Championship Courts and 59 Pickleball Courts. So let's have a look at last weekend's action.