$180M Pickleball Club Investment: 1st of 15 Clubs Planned In Suncoast

SARASOTA, FL — A Sarasota-based company has earmarked more than $180 million to build 15 indoor, private pickleball clubs throughout Florida.

Led by commercial real estate entrepreneurs Brian and Valerie McCarthy and their business partner, Matthew Gordon, the first Pickleball Club is under construction in Lakewood Ranch, according to a news release.

The first location, slated to open in December, sits on 2.4 acres and will include 12 indoor courts, two outdoor courts, a retail shop and café in a 33,000-square-foot facility.

They’ve purchased the land to open another two locations in Florida, already, with negotiations in the works for four additional clubs.

“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport nationwide with no signs of slowing down,” Gordon said. “We plan on being the market leader during this all-important land-grab phase of the industry, given the tremendous demand for indoor court space.”

The Pickleball Club has also purchased a 4.05-acre site in Bonita Springs for a 38,000-square-foot club with 14 indoor courts, and a 3.5-acre site in Port St. Lucie for a 33,000-square-foot club with 12 indoor courts. The company will also close on a 3.04-acre land purchase in Fort Myers in November for a 33,000-square-foot club.

Each club will include $1 million in technology and will use high-definition PlaySight technology to integrate real-time video into lessons and clinics.

“The intensely technological, amenity-based customer experience will be like nothing else in the market today,” Dominic Catalano, general manager, said.

The company currently has 47 shareholders and has raised nearly $5 million in equity over the past year and a half and is currently accepting accredited investors.